Yesterday, I blogged about my upcoming books I’ve selected and that post is a start in blogging about what I’m reading and why. In the past couple of years or so, certain themes in stories have weighed heavily on my mind. Not only that but if the themes and content is something I should be reading as a follower of Christ. I’ve always read widely but was cautious about content and my Christian conventions. However, I’ve agreed to review books that I wasn’t fully aware of its content and have done my best to honor those commitments keeping in mind that I’m not reading a biblical world view on morality and so forth. I have noticed in the past few years that a particular genre from certain authors I once enjoyed reading has become darker and too graphic in human nature to say the least which-I admit-reflects much of the world we live in today. This is not pointing fingers or making accusations towards others but a reflection on my own choices I make about reading material that I want to chose to read or omit from my life.
I’ve also reflected on the issue of how readers and reviewers on NetGalley are given information about the books we choose to read. I believe there is not enough information about its content and NetGalley should provide more information about any disclaimers of content we should be aware of since we are making a commitment to read said books. Yes, I am aware of the argument if that were the case, there would be so many books not selected to read because of the disclaimers and that wouldn’t be fair to the author and so on…I was onboard with that argument for a long time but I am no longer. After all, movies come with ratings and provide disclaimers.
I realize I haven’t always been consistent in my reviews to point out any content that people need to be aware of if they need or want to avoid for various reasons.
More times than not, I felt trapped into reading said books and recently I’ve rejected two books and stated my reasons to the publishers with respect of course. This may be difficult for many readers and authors to hear but as a long-standing book blogger, my experience as a book reviewer and reader needs to be voiced even at the risk of losing subscribers.
Christians are encouraged to engage with secular books-including fiction for an understanding of the world but we should also be discerning and cautious. That is true for secularist as well. For anyone in society really.
I have read many books that dealt with sensitive and difficult topics in such a way to make the story readable to a wide audience without compromising the readers convictions of what they can read without feeling uneasy or question if this is something they should be reading in the first place. My thanks to writers who weaves the story thus. I have more thoughts on this topic and may share more at a later time.
I tend to read multiple books at once due to my moods, what I’m studying or what I’m reading for pleasure. I know many say they can’t read like that but I’ve been able to do so for a long time now. Look at it this way, people usually watch multiple tv shows on a weekly basis and are able to keep up with the plots and characters without any problems. Taking notes or talking with a friend about what you’re reading is a good idea. I also like to go back a few pages sometimes to immerse myself back into the story. That said, if I’m really into a story and I don’t want to put it down or can’t wait to get back to it, I will focus on that story before moving on to the next one. I have finished a few books since the last time I blogged about books and I’m hoping to move on to a few books I’ve listed below.
I’ve had, “One Good Thing” by Georgia Hunter in my currently reading pile for quite a while now and haven’t been able to finish it. For some reason, I’m just not able to get into the story. Perhaps it is because I’ve read so many World War II stories and I’m experiencing burnout. That has happened to me before with this theme. I want to give the story a fair critique so I will be putting it aside temporary.
Side note: There are many books I’m using for study that I haven’t blogged about as of yet or I study and reference them on an ongoing basis.
Stephanie
The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman(I have an advance reader’s copy)
Pub Date Jul 29 2025
In rural 1930s Virginia, a young immigrant mother fights for her dignity and those she loves against America’s rising eugenics movement – when widespread support for policies of prejudice drove imprisonment and forced sterilizations based on class, race, disability, education, and country of origin – in this tragic and uplifting novel of social injustice, survival, and hope for readers of Susan Meissner, Kristin Hannah, and Christina Baker Kline.
When Lena Conti—a young, unwed mother—sees immigrant families being forcibly separated on Ellis Island, she vows not to let the officers take her two-year old daughter. But the inspection process is more rigorous than she imagined, and she is separated from her mother and teenage brother, who are labeled burdens to society, denied entry, and deported back to Germany. Now, alone but determined to give her daughter a better life after years of living in poverty and near starvation, she finds herself facing a future unlike anything she had envisioned.
Silas Wolfe, a widowed family relative, reluctantly brings Lena and her daughter to his weathered cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to care for his home and children. Though the hills around Wolfe Hollow remind Lena of her homeland, she struggles to adjust. Worse, she is stunned to learn the children in her care have been taught to hide when the sheriff comes around. As Lena meets their neighbors, she realizes the community is vibrant and tight knit, but also senses growing unease. The State of Virginia is scheming to paint them as ignorant, immoral, and backwards so they can evict them from their land, seize children from parents, and deal with those possessing “inferior genes.”
After a social worker from the Eugenics Office accuses Lena of promiscuity and feeblemindedness, her own worst fears come true. Sent to the Virginia State Colony for the Feebleminded and Epileptics, Lena face impossible choices in hopes of reuniting with her daughter—and protecting the people, and the land, she has grown to love.
Children of the Book: A Memoir of Reading Together by Ilana Kurshan (I have an advance reader’s copy)
Pub Date Aug 26 2025
In Children of the Book, Ilana Kurshan explores the closeness forged when family life unfolds against a backdrop of reading together. Kurshan, a mother of five living in Jerusalem, at first struggles to balance her passion for literature with her responsibilities as a parent. Gradually she learns how to relate to reading not as a solitary pursuit and an escape from the messiness of life, but rather as a way of teaching independence and forging connection. Introducing her children to sacred and secular literature—including the beloved classics of her childhood—helps her become both a better mother and a better reader.
Chief among the books Kurshan reads with her children is the Five Books of Moses, known as the Torah, which Jews the world over read in synchrony as part of the liturgical cycle. In the five parts of this memoir, Kurshan explores the surprising resonances between the biblical text and her experiences as a mother and a reader – from the first picture books that create the world through language for little babies, to the moment our children begin reading on their own leaving us behind, atop the mountain, as they enter new lands without us. A testament to the enduring power of shared texts, Children of the Book celebrates the deep pleasures of books.
The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans(I have an advance reader’s copy)
Pub Date Jun 24 2025
Estella Ecker has returned to Rockfall House, the last place on earth she wants to be. Years after she ran away from her overbearing father, she has been forced back home to walk in his footsteps, teaching at the college he dominated and living in the fabulous home where he entertained artists and scholars for decades—and perhaps she owns it now, because her mercurial mother has disappeared. At the center of everything—the whispers, the rumors, the secrets—is her father’s library of rare books, which she had been forbidden to touch while he was alive to stop her.
Everyone in town is watching Estella, with her dead father’s name on their lips, and no one seems to care about her missing mother. Who were her parents, really, and is the answer hidden somewhere in the depths of Rockfall House? And who will Estella be, if she gathers enough courage to find that answer? What she will discover is that no one can escape the secrets hidden in this dark library.
Suspenseful and unsettling but ultimately triumphant, The Dark Library by acclaimed author Mary Anna Evans is a compelling tale of mystery, family secrets, and the quest for truth.
This is going to be another fabulous year of great books coming out, reading and discovering new authors. I recently finished reading, “Every Precious and Fragile Thing” by Barbara Davis and it moved me so much that I’m still thinking about the story and getting teary eyed. My review will be posted closer to the publish date. I’m currently reading a couple others including, “Babylonia” by Costanza Casati and it is fabulous! I’m delighted to have discovered Casati’s work and look forward to seeing what she publishes next. I already have so much to say about the story, the time period and where the story takes place. Also, I should be posting my review of, “Sisters in Science” by Olivia Campbell soon. I’m a bit behind on that one because how important this story is and I want to make sure my review conveys the importance of women’s contribution to Science.
I know I said I was all set for the titles I was going to read and review this year but I can’t turn down invites to Random House and Atria books often. That is my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Ha!
The next Reader’s Log will be about the book I got for Christmas! Can’t wait to share! – Stephanie
Paris Undercover (A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal) by Matthew Goodman
Pub Date Feb 04 2025 by Random House Publishing Group
Description
Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris created a daring escape line that rescued dozens of Allied servicemen. With one still in a German prison camp, the other wrote a book about it—a memoir built on fabrications. Now the bestselling author of Eighty Days shares their incredible, never-before-told full story.
Etta Shiber and Kate Bonnefous are the unlikeliest of heroines: two seemingly ordinary women, an American widow and an English divorcée, living quietly together in Paris. Yet during the Nazi occupation, these two friends find themselves unexpectedly plunged into the whirlwind of history. With the help of a French country priest and others, they set out to rescue British and French soldiers trapped behind enemy lines—some of whom they daringly smuggle through Nazi checkpoints hidden inside the trunk of their car.
Ultimately the Gestapo captures them both. After eighteen months in prison, Etta is returned to the United States in a prisoner exchange. Back home, hoping to bring attention to her friend Kitty’s bravery, she publishes a memoir about their work. Paris-Underground becomes a publishing sensation and Etta a celebrity. Meanwhile Kate spends the rest of the war in a Nazi prison, entirely unaware of the book that has been written about her—and the deeds that have been claimed in her name.
In researching this story, Matthew Goodman uncovered military records and personal testimonies that reveal, for the first time, the shocking truth behind Etta’s memoir and the unexpected, far-reaching consequences of its publication. More than just a story of two women’s remarkable courage, Paris Undercover is a vivid, gripping account of deceit, betrayal, and personal redemption.
Letters from the Dead by Isabella Valeri
Pub Date May 27 2025 by Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Description
This addictive debut novel takes us into an intoxicating world of old money, privilege, and family intrigue as a young heiress must return home from a decade-long exile to face the powerful enemies arrayed against her, including those within her own family.
For the first eleven years of her life, the precocious daughter of a great European family tracing its roots back more than fifteen generations, never set foot on land that her family didn’t own. Cloistered on a sprawling estate in the Alpine foothills, as the youngest sibling of her generation she has little knowledge of the dark forces gathering in the shadows to strike at her family. But, when her insatiable curiosity leads her to uncover a priceless text hidden hundreds of years before, she shines light into corners meant to be left in the dark and threatens to uncover secrets that could trigger an internecine battle for succession.
Then, with no warning or explanation, she is whisked away on a private jet and exiled to an elite but isolated all-girls boarding school in the United States. More than a decade later, now in her twenties, she finds her bank accounts abruptly frozen by her family. She is recalled from her affluent but empty existence abroad. Little does she know that her family has plans for her, including an arranged marriage. Worse, as she draws closer to discovering the horrific act that sent her into exile a decade before, and shadowy enemies close in on her family, she must face her most dangerous and powerful foe: her own father.
Recently, I’ve started back with book reviewing for publishers via invite through emails and on NetGalley. I also have a backlog of books to review, and I’ve worked on a system to get caught up on my backlog while reviewing ARCS (Advance Reader Copies). There are several reasons why I got behind, but the important thing is I’m catching up.
Firstly, I’m a mood reader so I need to factor in this while selecting the books I want to read and review. I also tend to read several books at once depending on the genre. I’ve been able to read like this for years now due to practice, focus and taking notes.
Secondly, keeping a reading journal, excel sheets and a schedule helps me stay on track. This also takes mindfulness to keep to this routine. Yes, sometimes I get off track because life happens. My reading journal is where I keep the list of books I’ve completed. I have separate notebooks for taking notes for drafting reviews. I also use a calendar book to keep track of when book reviews (other posts) are scheduled to go live on my website.
How I Use Excel for books to review:
I have two excel spread sheets to keep track of my NetGalley books to review. You can also keep track on the NetGalley site as well. They have it all set up for you. I’m using excel as well so I can group my current ARCS and Backlog. I limit how many I put on the spread sheets. This technique helps me from becoming overwhelmed with my backlog. Below is an example of how I group and select the next ones to read and review.
On this post I did not include the pub date and so forth. Which I have on the spread sheets. The books listed are the ones I need and want to have completed before June 2025. The completion is based on the ARCs and their publishing date and when they need to be turned in. After I have read and reviewed these books, I will add to the spread sheets the next group of books to work on. I’m currently averaging about 4 to 8 a month of books read and reviewed. Sometimes that number changes but I make sure that every week I’m turning in a review(s). Right now, I’m reading ARCs during the day and reading a book from my backlog late afternoon and evening.
Stephanie
ARCS (2024-June 2025):
1. Sisters in Science by Olivia – Campbell –Currently reading
2. Babylonia by Costanza Casati
3. The Sinners All Bow by Kate Winkler Dawson – Currently reading
4. Death Comes in Three by Michael Jecks
5. The Garden by Nick Newman – Recently finished
6. We Are Made of Stars by Rochelle B. Weinstein – Finished reading yesterday
7.I died for Beauty by Amanda Flower – Almost finished reading
8. Murder at the Loch by Dee MacDonald
9. The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley
10. The Secrets of Good People by Boo Walker
11. The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb
12. Boney Creek by Paula Gleeson
13. One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter
14. Nine Minutes Eleven Seconds by L.V. Pederson
15. Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
16. The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective by Sara Lodge –Book has been published. I received a review copy after the pub date.
Backlog:
1. Remember Me by Lesley Pearse
2. Mr. Campion’s Coven by Mike Ripley
3. The Eyes of the Queen by Oliver Clements
4. The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
5. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
6. Our of the Rain by VC Andrews
7. The Midnight Watch by David Dyer
8. Greenwhich Park by Katherine Faulkner
9. The Bookseller’s Secret by Michelle Gables
10. A Scream in Soho by John G. Brandon
Already Scheduled Post Dates on Layered Pages: Book Reviews
This schedule is always being added to as I finish writing the posts and choosing a post date.
Book Review:The Perfect Ex-Wife by Winter K. Willis- Nov 25, 2025
Book Review:The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen- Jan 4, 2025
Book Review: Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker- Feb 2, 2025
Book Review:The Garden by Nick Newman- Feb 10, 2025
Differentiating between red herrings and explicit content for shock value or book sales in mystery-thrillers.
Today, I thought I would share a book I’m currently reading and discuss a little about difficult passages that may be disturbing, or what one may feel is inappropriate. Oftentimes, a reader can come across a scene where they wished they hadn’t read or wish they had just skipped over entirely. But what should one do if they’re reviewing a book for the publisher or author and come across this problem? Should they just give up on the book entirely, or power through it, hoping for the best? Personally, I really think it depends on a few things.
Firstly, it depends on the type of reader you are and what you can handle or not handle. I’ve noticed through the decades the different stages I’ve gone through with reading material. What I will tolerate, what I deemed appropriate or inappropriate. What disturbs me and so forth… Like, is it just for shock value for book sales or does it serve a purpose to drive plot of the story? Does it attest to the character’s human nature and lifestyle? What are the purposes of these scenes?
There can also be that the theme or scene-if you will-upsets one’s psyche on a personal level. One must consider these things when reading physiological thrillers and literature as a whole. If you are a reader who reads widely, even then one can have limits and there is nothing wrong with that; one must use discernment in all things.
I’m currently reviewing an ARC of, “The Last Room on the Left” by Leah Konen at the invite via email from the publishers, and I’ve come across two difficult but brief scenes I could have-in all honestly- done without. It seriously had me pause and considered if I wanted to finish this story or not. The next morning, I reflected more on whether or not to continue with the story. The pause had me ask myself the question whether or not the difficult but brief scenes were a red herring or just shock value. As I read further, I came to the conclusion that they are definitely red herrings. To be honest, the old me would have probably given up on the book entirely. I’m glad I didn’t in this case and I believe the author did a good job with writing these scenes without dragging it out. They serve the right purpose in story-telling, in my opinion.
If you come across scenes when reading books for review, what is the standard you set for yourself, and do you ask or consider the questions I mentioned above?
Edit: My review for, “The Last Room on the Left” by Leah Konen will be posted on January 4, 2025.
Stephanie
The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen
Expected publication January 14, 2025 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons – Penguin Random House
Kerry’s life is in shambles: Her husband has left her, her drinking habit has officially become a problem, and though the deadline for her big book deal—the one that was supposed to change everything—is looming, she can’t write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a revitalized roadside motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It’s the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh.
But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: a pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains and alone with a dead, frozen body, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ . . .
I’ve been making book lists for as long as I can remember. Occasionally, I find lists on scraps of paper between pages of books, notebooks or scattered in random places. The latter reminds me of a passage in Possession by A. S. Byatt of paper referring to leaves. Do you know it?
Knowing I won’t get to all the books on my lists, I still keep adding. Also, I break up the list into categories sometimes. Recently, I watched a couple of book vloggers on YouTube who went through the New York Times top books of the 21st Century-or something like that. There were a few I was interested in and I started a new list for those books. One of them was Stephen Kings book “11/23/64” and I have owned a hardback of that story for years but have not read it as of yet.
Last week, I went to our local used book store and only found two of the books on my list! Collecting these books may take a while but I’m determined. Perhaps, the library sale next year will have them. Do you make lists and how many books do you think you have you want to acquire? I’m pretty sure I may have over 3,000 give or take.
Below are the two books on the list I purchased last week and the list of books I want to add to my home library to-read. I may be adding to this list. We will see. Have you read any of these books? Do share!
Stephanie
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
(Paperback)
I really want to read this book soon.
An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.
Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.
The Martian by Andy Weir
(Paperback)
I saw the movie when it came out. I see people keep talking about the story, so I’ve decided to read it. Read the first few pages already.
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
Book List:
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer ( I randomly just added this one.)
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
11/23/64 by Stephen King (Own)
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Tomorrow by Gabriella Zevin
I must say there is an art or juggling act sometimes in making sure you are meeting your reading goals. Mine change overtime depending on my schedule, mood and interests. Now that I’ve started back reviewing books on NetGalley, I’ve seriously have had to make big changes. The last couple of years, I’ve been reading books from my home library that I haven’t gotten to or have read many times already and enjoying revisiting them. I do try my best to reread Jane Eyre often.
So, how do I juggle NetGalley, books I haven’t read in my library and reread my favorites without burning out? Yeah, I’m still trying to figure that out. One thing that is really helping me to not feel overwhelm is to make sure I’m not reviewing new ARCs that are published close together. I generally read about an average of eight books per month give or take. Plus, I’m in the throes of Biblical background studies along with the early church Father’s and the 1st Century church. Those books are an ongoing read so I don’t generally count them in my completed reads for the year. Yeah, that is a lot of reading.
The book stack you see in the picture to the left are books I recently selected from my home library to read and decide if they are going to make a permanent place in my library. It is my goal to accomplish by the end of next year.
We’ve got a hurricane heading out way which will be a tropical storm by the time it hits our area. So, I’m trying to get as much computer work done just in case, we lose electricity and Wi-Fi. Praying for the people in the storms path.
On average, how many books do you read in a month or year?
On January 19th I posted about a few selected non-fiction books I have added to my wish-list. There are too many to count and not enough time in the hours of a day that direct our attention elsewhere! A bibliophile’s struggle one might often say. This topic is an enjoyable pastime to discuss among fellow book lovers and I’m delighted to be sharing this book blog entry with you.
This past weekend I began reading Martin Luther by Eric Metaxas and I’m enjoying his telling of Luther a great deal. I wanted to read a highly regarded biography on Luther and was delighted to find a copy at Half Price Books. I was fortunate to obtain a hardback that is in excellent condition. Below you will find the description of the Luther book and a few other titles that may pique your interest.
Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World by Eric Metaxas
Description
On All Hallow’s Eve in 1517, a young monk named Martin Luther posted a document he hoped would spark an academic debate, but that instead ignited a conflagration that would forever destroy the world he knew. Five hundred years after Luther’s now famous Ninety-five Theses appeared, Eric Metaxas, acclaimed biographer of the bestselling Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery, paints a startling portrait of the wild figure whose adamantine faith cracked the edifice of Western Christendom and dragged medieval Europe into the future. Written in riveting prose and impeccably researched, Martin Luther tells the searing tale of a humble man who, by bringing ugly truths to the highest seats of power, caused the explosion whose sound is still ringing in our ears. Luther’s monumental faith and courage gave birth to the ideals of liberty, equality, and individualism that today lie at the heart of all modern life.
Ben & Me
In Search of a Founder’s Formula for a Long and Useful Life by Eric Weiner
Pub Date 11 Jun 2024
Description
New York Times bestselling author Eric Weiner follows in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin, mining his life for inspiring and practical lessons in a book that’s part biography, part travelogue, part personal prescription.
Ben Franklin lingers in our lives and in our imaginations. One of only two non-presidents to appear on US currency, Franklin was a founder, statesman, scientist, inventor, diplomat, publisher, humorist, and philosopher. He believed in the American experiment, but Ben Franklin’s greatest experiment was…Ben Franklin. In that spirit of betterment, Eric Weiner embarks on an ambitious quest to live the way Ben lived.
Not a conventional biography, Ben & Me is a guide to living and thinking well, as Ben Franklin did. It is also about curiosity, diligence, and, most of all, the elusive goal of self-improvement. As Weiner follows Franklin from Philadelphia to Paris, Boston to London, he attempts to uncover Ben’s life lessons, large and small. We learn how to improve a relationship with someone by inducing them to do a favor for you—a psychological phenomenon now known as The Ben Franklin Effect. We learn about the printing press (the Internet of its day), early medicine, diplomatic intrigue and, of course, electricity. And we learn about ethics, persuasion, humor, regret, appetite, and so much more.
At a time when history is either neglected or contested, Weiner argues we have much to learn from the past and that we’d all be better off if we acted and thought a bit more like Ben did, even if he didn’t always live up to his own high ideals. Engaging, smart, moving, quirky, Ben & Me distills the essence of Franklin’s ideas into grounded, practical wisdom for all of us.
Drawn Testimony
My Four Decades as a Courtroom Sketch Artist
by Jane Rosenberg
Pub Date 13 Aug 2024
Description
A penetrating, compulsively readable memoir about the four-decade career of America’s top courtroom sketch artist, for fans of Lab Girl and Working Stiff
Jane Rosenberg is America’s pre-eminent courtroom sketch artist. For over forty years, she’s been at the heart of the story, covering almost every major trial that has passed through the New York justice system. From mob bosses to fallen titans of finance, terrorists and sex abusers, corrupt cops and warring entertainment icons, she has drawn them all.
In Drawn Testimony, Rosenberg brings us into the high-stakes, dramatic world of her craft, where art, psychology and courtroom drama collide. Over the course of her legendary career, Jane has had a front row seat to some of the most iconic and notorious moments in our nation’s recent history, sketching everything from Tom Brady’s deflate-gate case, to John Lennon’s murder trial to cases against Ghislaine Maxwell, John Gotti, Harvey Weinstein and most recently, the indictment against former President Donald Trump. Readers will learn how she has honed her unique powers of perception, but also what her portraits reveal, not only about her subjects, but about the human condition in general.
Fearless, fascinating and gorgeously written, Drawn Testimony captures the unique career of an artist whose body of work depicts history as it’s happening.
My Roman History
A Memoir
by Alizah Holstein
Pub Date25 Jun 2024
Description
In this exquisite and profound memoir, a medieval historian traces her lifelong obsession with Rome and the encounters with the city’s past and present that became fulcrum points in her life
From the time she first felt called to its gates as a high school student fascinated by Dante and Italian thanks to a life-changing teacher, Rome has been a fixed star around which Alizah Holstein’s life has rotated—despite the fact that she bears no Italian heritage, and has never lived there long enough to call it home.
In this kaleidoscopic yet intimate memoir, her shifting relationship to a vibrant city layered with human history becomes a lens on why we look to the past, on the mysteries of affinity and desire, and on what it means to grow up. Holstein weaves the stories of Romans past and present, and encounters with the city of historical figures from Petrarch to Freud, into the narrative of her evolution from a curious student abuzz with the thrill of discovery, to a lonely researcher in a city to which she feels she belongs despite knowing no one, to an ambitious young historian struggling to find her place in the halls of academia. Following a trail of memories—that first taste of a tartufo cioccolato in Piazza Navona, the ancient walls of the Via Appia blurring from the back of a motorcycle, the smudge of ink on a manuscript left by a scribe’s hand over seven hundred years before—she explores what it means to be romana, Roman—and to find solace and self-knowledge in the presence of the past.
An enveloping, original, and deeply resonant account, set against one of the world’s most beguiling cities, of the unexpected things that give our lives meaning, My Roman History is a profound depiction of the winding path to self-realization, which—much like history itself—is mysterious, captivating, and ever-unfolding.
As I wrote this post, I reflected on how fast last year flew by and how 2023 was the year that I completely got over my fiction reading burn out. I contribute that to several factors but most of all to not setting any particular number of books to read. Instead, by being more intentional about absorbing what I’m reading at a slower pace. I wasn’t boggled down by pressures to gain any number of books read by the end of the year. I learned so much about myself and what drove me to burn out in the first place. That subject may come as a blog post at a later date.
There are a few books on my bookshelf that I visited again and new ones that were recommended to me and that were on my wish-list. I was quite surprise by how different my experience was by re-reading stories this time around. A few were favorable and others not so much. Jane Eyre of course is always like visiting an old friend and the visit brought me closer to the story than it has in quite a while. I credit that to absorbing Jane’s story at a slower pace. Her life’s journey is among my favorites since my first time meeting her in the early 1990’s. Not only that but of the spiritual lessons through its pages.
I didn’t read as many fictional books as I have in the past because I am deeply involved in Bible studies-such as theology and the early Christian church history and other history research.
I look forward to sharing more about my nonfiction reads and posting about my reading 2024 reading adventures this year soon.
It has been ages since I’ve posted a wish-list of books I want to read. I’ve been extremely selective these days, though not to say I don’t read a wide range of genres. The five books below are a pretty good example of what I’m currently interested in at the moment. That said, it can change at any moment. I’ve been a perpetual mood when it comes to stories. I wonder why that is because I love stories. Hmm…maybe it’s writing styles or sometimes I feel the writer is holding back or it could be that I feel like I’m reading the same story over and over again. The lack of originality at times. My guess it’s one of the reasons why I’m not reading as much historical fiction these days. Ever get I a reading funk like this? I don’t know. I’m rambling. These books look hopeful. Happy reading! -Stephanie
Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger
HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada)
Park Row
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 05 Oct 2021
Description
“You won’t be able to stop turning the pages!” —Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
Secrets, obsession and vengeance converge in this riveting thriller about an online dating match turned deadly cat-and-mouse game, from the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions on the 7:45
Think twice before you swipe.
She met him through a dating app. An intriguing picture on a screen, a date at a downtown bar. What she thought might be just a quick hookup quickly became much more. She fell for him—hard. It happens sometimes, a powerful connection with a perfect stranger takes you by surprise. Could it be love?
But then, just as things were getting real, he stood her up. Then he disappeared—profiles deleted, phone disconnected. She was ghosted.
Maybe it was her fault. She shared too much, too fast. But isn’t that always what women think—that they’re the ones to blame? Soon she learns there were others. Girls who thought they were in love. Girls who later went missing. She had been looking for a connection, but now she’s looking for answers. Chasing a digital trail into his dark past—and hers—she finds herself on a dangerous hunt. And she’s not sure whether she’s the predator—or the prey.
The Perfect Ending by Rob Kaufman
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 15 Jun 2021
Description
Paralyzed by writer’s block, Scott Atwood’s career is over, and so, he’s decided, is his life. He just has to figure out the perfect ending befitting a popular, award-winning thriller-suspense author who always gives his fans a mind-blowing finale.
But just as Scott resolves to jump in front of a train, he conceives the ideal plot for his next bestseller — a writer of psychological thrillers who decides to wreak havoc in other people’s lives in order to help him come up with ideas for his next book.
Looking for inspiration, he exposes his neighbor’s affair with devastating and far-reaching repercussions, and his plan soon begins to spiral wildly out of control. But what is fiction? And what is reality? The lines blur in this twisted and masterful Hitchcockian thriller with the perfect ending. The question is… to what?
H. G. Wells: Changing the World
by Claire Tomalin
Penguin Press
Biographies & Memoirs | History | Reference
Pub Date 02 Nov 2021
Description
From acclaimed literary biographer Claire Tomalin, a complex and fascinating exploration of the early life of the influential writer and public figure H. G. Wells
Upon the death of H. G. Wells, in 1946, George Orwell remarked, “If he had stopped writing in 1920 his reputation would stand quite as high as it does: if we knew him only by the books he wrote after that date, we should have rather a low opinion of him.” For though Wells is remembered as the author of such influential books of science fiction as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds, and as a man whose visions of the future remain unsurpassed, his success as a writer of fiction stopped short in his forties. He remained famous, with an established reputation across England, America, and France, but, remarkably, never again equaled his early writing achievements.
Here for the first time, Claire Tomalin brings to life the early years of H. G. Wells, and traces his formation as a writer of extraordinary originality and ambition. Born in 1866, the son of a gardener and a housekeeper, Wells faced poverty and ill health from a young age. At 12, he was taken out of school, torment for a child with intellectual aspirations. Determined, Wells won scholarships and worked towards science degrees. Though he failed his final exams, he was soon writing text books, involving himself in politics, and contributing to newspapers. Still suffering from serious illness, as well as multiple physical breakdowns, Wells understood early on the impulse to escape – through books, art, and his imagination – and he began to make his name by writing short stories. But it wasn’t until the publication of his first novel, The Time Machine, in 1895, that Wells attained the great success he had so longed for. His book, which transformed the way readers saw the world, was hailed as an extraordinary accomplishment.
Until the period leading up to the first world war, Wells wrote books at an almost unprecedented speed – about science, mysteries, and prophecies; aliens, planets, and space travel; mermaids, the bottom of the sea, and distant islands. He chronicled social change, and forecasted the future of technology and politics; formed friendships with Winston Churchill, Henry James, and Bernard Shaw, and shaped the minds of the young and old. His most famous works have never been out of print, and his influence is still felt today. In this unforgettable portrait of this complicated man, Tomalin makes clear his early period was crucial in making him into the great writer he became, and that by concentrating on the young Wells, we get the best of his life, and of his work.
The Sound the Sun Makes by Buck Storm
Kregel Publications
Christian | Literary Fiction
Pub Date 18 May 2021
Description
Literary Americana with humor, heart, and a whole lot of twists to keep readers guessing
Detective Early Pines loves his southern Arizona desert, often thinking he could stare at it all day long. But now that he’s forced to do just that, the truth is the view from his back porch is getting old. He’s on mandatory leave from the police department, simply for punching a wife beater who had it coming. Early is in dire need of a distraction from his own loud thoughts. So when an old friend invites him to tag along to a rodeo down in Old Mex, it seems like just the ticket.
But if there’s one constant in the world, it’s that life always throws a guy curveballs. With a flat tire, a roadside bar, and a beautiful woman with trouble on her hands, Early’s distraction takes a hard right turn–straight to Los Angeles, six hundred miles west.
Hammott Lamont is waiting there in his own personal hunting ground. The reclusive filmmaker is a veritable cult leader to Hollywood stars–and he’s sure his latest project will redefine art history in his image. He’s got a plan for a brutal, modernized version of the Christ story, and he’s ready to trample anyone who stands in the way of his colossal vision. That is, until big, loud Early Pines hits the coast for a clash of two titans who never saw each other coming.
Quirky, lyrical, and unexpected, The Sound the Sun Makes offers a warm and sunny side trip for fans of Jimmy Buffett, Carl Hiaasen, and Barbara Kingsolver who long for more of a Christian worldview in their fiction.
The Torqued Man
A Novel
by Peter Mann
Harper
General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction
Pub Date 11 Jan 2022
Description
“A damn good read.”—Alan Furst
A brilliant debut novel, at once teasing literary thriller and a darkly comic blend of history and invention, The Torqued Man is set in wartime Berlin and propelled by two very different but equally mesmerizing voices: a German spy handler and his Irish secret agent, neither of whom are quite what they seem.
Berlin—September, 1945. Two manuscripts are found in rubble, each one narrating conflicting versions of the life of an Irish spy during the war.
One of them is the journal of a German military intelligence officer and would-be opponent of Hitler named Adrian de Groot, charting his relationship with his agent, friend, and sometimes lover, an Irishman named Frank Pike. In de Groot’s narrative, Pike is a charismatic IRA fighter sprung from prison in Spain to assist with the planned German invasion of Ireland, but who never gets the chance to consummate his deal with the devil.
Meanwhile, the other manuscript gives a very different account of the Irishman’s doings in the Reich. Assuming the alter ego of the Celtic hero Finn McCool, Pike appears here as the ultimate Allied saboteur. His mission: an assassination campaign of high-ranking Nazi doctors, culminating in the killing of Hitler’s personal physician.
The two manuscripts spiral around each other, leaving only the reader to know the full truth of Pike and de Groot’s relationship, their ultimate loyalties, and their efforts to resist the fascist reality in which they are caught.
Layered Pages 