For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt

For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt
Published by Mira ISBN 9781488088544
Trade paperback, $16.99, 336 pages

Margot Hunt's For Better and Worse begins with Natalie and Will Clarke meeting in law school, and soon they fell in love and married. Natalie and Will were very different- she was serious, decisive and driven, knowing from the beginning that she wanted to be criminal defense lawyer.  Will was more laid back, handsome and athletic, and he made Natalie laugh.

On their first date they joke about committing the perfect murder, how to do it, how to cover it up and get away with it. Seventeen years later, it comes back to haunt them.

Nat doesn't know why Will is suddenly so angry with her. He hates her family organization calendar, hates knowing exactly what they are going to have for dinner every night. Nat notices that Will now uses a password for his phone and he is frequently texting someone. Is he having an affair?

That falls to the wayside however when their eleven-year-old son Jacob's school principal is accused of molesting a troubled student. Nat and Will doubt the accusation at first; they have known the man for twenty years, were good friends with him and his ex-wife.

When Jacob tells Nat that the principal molested him on a class trip, Nat is infuriated. She has defended people accused of this crime and she knows what trauma Jacob will be put through if he tells what he knows and has to testify at a trial.

The only solution to the problem as Nat sees it is to kill the man. She knows he did this and to prevent him from doing it to others and to protect her son's future, she concocts the perfect murder. When something goes wrong, she has to drag an unwilling Will into it and things begin to fall apart.

For Better and Worse is a propulsive thriller, and I read it in one sitting. The reader can put themselves in Nat's shoes, trying to protect their child. And once Nat makes the decision to kill the principal, you will hold your breath the rest of the way as you see things going from bad to worse.

The story is told first from Nat's point-of-view, and when it switches to Will's point-of-view, you'll find your heart in your mouth. Will doesn't understand why his wife would do this, and he begins to question who he really married. It is a roller coaster of ride from there.

You really don't know  how this will end, and I confess that I did not see that ending coming. It will be a topic of discussion.

That being said, if you are looking for a thrill ride of a book, something to take you away for a few hours, For Better and Worse should be next up on your TBR list. Just remember to breathe while you are reading. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Margot Hunt's tour. The rest of her stops are here:

Margot Hunt’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, December 3rd: Tales of a Book Addict

Tuesday, December 4th: What is That Book About – excerpt

Wednesday, December 5th: @bookishconnoisseur

Wednesday, December 5th: @mountain_reader_

Thursday, December 6th: A Bookish Way of Life

Friday, December 7th: Not in Jersey

Monday, December 10th: @girlsinbooks

Monday, December 10th: Books & Bindings 

Tuesday, December 11th: @theliteraryllama

Wednesday, December 12th: Chick Lit Central

Thursday, December 13th: Girl Who Reads

Thursday, December 13th: From the TBR Pile

Friday, December 14th: Bookchickdi

Monday, December 17th: She Reads With Cats and @shereadswithcats

Tuesday, December 18th: Thoughts on This ‘n That

Wednesday, December 19th: Palmer’s Page Turners

Thursday, December 20th: Caryn, The Book Whisperer

Friday, December 21st: Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind

TBD: @everlasting.charm

TBD: Really Into This

Christmas on the Island by Jenny Colgan

Charistmas on the Island by Jenny Colgan
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks ISBN 9780062850072
Trade paperback, $14.99, 336 pages

Author Jenny Colgan introduced us to the residents of the tiny Scottish island of Mure in The Cafe by the Sea, which I found delightful. She revisits them in her wonderful new novel, Christmas on the Island.

Flora left her paralegal job to open a little cafe, Seaside Kitchen. She enjoys her shop, and her relationship with her former boss Joel is going well. Being back home with her family and friends has made her very happy.

But Joel and Flora's relationship hits a bump whe Flora ends up accidentally pregnant, and Joel doesn't react the way she had hoped. Joel had a very difficult childhood, and he doesn't know if he can be a good father.

Flora's brother Fintan found love with Joel's biggest client, Colton Rogers, an American multi-millionaire, who came to Mure and built a huge mansion. At first the town hated Colton and all he stood for, but he has since become a valued, beloved member of the community.

Colton and Fintan's love is interrupted by a severe health issue, and an unwelcome and unexpected visit from Colton's brother from Texas. Colton has had nothing to do with his family for years, so he is suspect about the timing of his brother's visit.

The newest member of the community is Dr. Saif Hassan, a Syrian refugee who has been relocated to Mure. Saif has two young sons who are trying to adjust to a new life in a very different place. Saif is also looking for his wife, who never made it out of Syria.

Saif has become friends with Lorna, his sons' teacher and Flora's best friend. Lorna is attracted to Saif, but his missing wife casts a pall over their burgeoning relationship.

Once again, we get mouthwatering descriptions of some of the treats made in the Seaside Kitchen, including recipes at the end for Lanark Blue Scones, Black Bun and Shortbread. I also enjoyed learning about the Christmas traditions of this tiny Scottish island.

Reading Christmas on the Island is like catching up with old friends. Jenny Colgan makes you feel as though you hopped on the ferry yourself and landed there to spend the holidays. While there is  joy, as with life, there are also sorrows. The way that Mure welcomed and accepted Saif and his sons is uplifting, but Colton and Fintan's story is very sad.

I loved Christmas on the Island and hope that we get to meet up again with the residents of Mure.
I highly recommend it.

My review of The Cafe by the Sea is here.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Jenny Colgan's tour. The rest of her stops are here:

Instagram Features

Monday, December 3rd: Instagram: @simplykelina

Tuesday, December 4th: Instagram: @theliteraryllama

Wednesday, December 5th: Instagram: @girlwithnoselfie

Thursday, December 6th: Instagram: @direads

Friday, December 7th: Instagram: @basicbsguide

Saturday, December 8th: Instagram: @readwithkat

Sunday, December 9th: Instagram: @sweetbookobsession

Review Stops

Monday, December 3rd: BookNAround

Tuesday, December 4th: A Bookish Way of Life

Wednesday, December 5th: A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, December 6th: bookchickdi

Friday, December 7th: Into the Hall of Books

Monday, December 10th: Ms. Nose in a Book

Tuesday, December 11th: Jackie Reads Books

Wednesday, December 12th: Thoughts From a Highly Caffeinated Mind

Thursday, December 13th: Instagram: @kate.olson.reads

Friday, December 14th: Kahakai Kitchen

Monday, December 17th: Staircase Wit

Tuesday, December 18th: Instagram: @worldswithinpages

Tuesday, December 18th: A Book a Week

Wednesday, December 19th: Books and Bindings

Thursday, December 20th: I Wish I Lived in a Library

Book Make Great Gifts

Reprinted from the Citizen:

It's holiday shopping season again, and that means it’s time for the annual Books Are Great Gifts column. Books are never the wrong size or color, and they give many hours of enjoyment and enlightenment to the recipients.

Becoming

There are a lot of great nonfiction choices this season. For the memoir connoisseur, Michelle Obama’s Becoming is a hot seller already and an Oprah’s Book Club pick. Everyone is talking about this one. 

And for those on the other side of the political spectrum, Bob Spitz’s comprehensive biography of Ronald Reagan, Reagan —An American Journey, has also garnered great praise. 

Reagan- An American Journey

If your father-in-law watches CBNC every morning, John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood — Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, about the meteoric rise and fall of Theranos, is the perfect gift. It has been compared to Woodward and Bernstein’s All The President’s Men.

Bad Blood

In the Hurricane's Eye

Your uncle the history buff will dive into Nathaniel Philbrick’s In The Hurricane’s Eye about George Washington’s victory at Yorktown. 

Infinite Wonder

For the science enthusiast on your list, astronaut Scott Kelly has a stunning coffee table book, Infinite Wonder, consisting of the photos he took of earth from the year he spent on the International Space Station. 

Homebody

If your sister adores HGTV shows, Joanna Gaines’ Homebody will help her decorate her own home Magnolia-style. 

Cook Like a Pro

For your aunt who watches the Food Network while she makes dinner, The Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten has a new cookbook, Cook Like A Pro. Add some of your favorite kitchen tools, and you’ve got a great gift. (And maybe she will treat you to a dish made from the book.) 

Night of Miracles

There’s plenty for fiction fans on your list as well. Elizabeth Berg’s lovely Night of Miracles continues the story she started in The Story of Arthur Truluv. It’s a sweet, charming book about the residents of a small Missouri town and it warms the heart. 

The Kiss Quotient

The Proposal

For romance lovers, Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date and The Proposal would make a great double-feature gift. Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient, about a woman with Aspergers who hires an escort to teach her about romantic relationships, has also gotten rave reviews.  

The Wedding Date

The Witch Elm

If you have any mystery/thriller readers on your list, Irish author Tana French takes a break from her brilliant Dublin Murder Squad series with her new mystery about a body found buried under a tree in The Witch Elm.  

Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke team up again for the fifth book in their superb Under Suspicion series about a TV producer of a cold case television show in You Don't Own Me.

You Don't Own Me

The Chalk Man

 For those who love a spooky psychological thriller, C.J. Tudor’s The Chalk Man will give goosebumps.  

Give the fan of Netflix’s Stranger Things a copy of Shirley Jackson’s classic novel The Haunting of Hill House, which is the basis for the hottest series of the same name on Netflix now.

The Haunting of Hill House

All The Ever Afters

For lovers of the Broadway musical Wicked, there are two terrific books that re-imagine fairy tales. You get a different view of Cinderella’s evil stepmother in Danielle Teller’s All the Ever Afters, and Rumplestiltskin’s story is told anew in Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver. 

Spinning Silver

Mary Poppins

Books are wonderful gifts to give to children and you can’t go wrong with a picture book for the little ones. Take them to see the new Mary Poppins movie, and pair that with a copy of Mary Poppins (picture book) by Dr. P.L. Travers and Genevieve Godbout. 

If they prefer animal stories, Jonathan Litton and Thomas Elliott's board book Baby 101 — Zoology for Babies is adorable and informative. 

Zoology for Babies

The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden

There are so many fantastic books for middle readers (ages 8-12) these days. Karina Yan Glaser’s heartwarming story The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden continues her delightful series about a family living in New York City. 

The Parker Inheritance

Carl Hiaasen’s hilarious Squirm will tickle children’s funny bones, and Variance Johnson’s The Parker Inheritance tells the story of a young girl who finds a letter in the attic about her grandmother that sends her on a mission of discovery. 

Squirm

Children of Blood and Bone

Tomi Adeyemi’s Children Of Blood and Bone will satisfy fans of Harry Potter and the Black Panther movie, and has been on the bestseller list for many months. 

Harper Lee’s classic book (and winner of PBS’ The Great American Read) To Kill A Mockingbird is now available as a beautiful graphic novel for devotees of that genre. 

To Kill a Mockingbird

And always remember that books are easy to wrap!

Once a Midwife by Patricia Harman

Once a Midwife by Patricia Harman
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks ISBN 9780062825575
Trade paperback, $16.99, 486 pages

Author Patricia Harman lives in West Virginia and is a nurse-midwife, so it's not surprising that her four novels are set in Hope River, West Virginia, and feature a midwife as the main character.

Her newest novel, Once a Midwife, is set in Hope River just as the United States is getting into WWII. Patience Hester is a midwife, wife to local veterinarian Dan, and mom to four young children. The Great Depression is over, and people are doing better financially.

Patience's friend and midwife assistant Bitsy, a black woman, comes back into town after being gone for almost ten years. She has a young white boy, Willie, with her. Bitsy was Willie's nanny, and when his mom died, Bitsy took him in.

The story is told through Patience's journals, and we see life on her family's rural farm, and the closeness of the small community of Hope River. We also get to see Patience at work, delivering babies in the Baby Cabin built by Dan, just outside her home.

We also learn a bit about Patience's earlier life- an orphan, a suffragette, a union organizer and a widow- which is covered in more depth in Harman's The Midwife of Hope River. (After reading Once a Midwife, I will be reading that one as well.)

Patience and Dan are deeply in love, but the looming crisis of WWII causes a major rift between them. Dan fought in WWI, and he was horrified by the things he saw and had to do. He swore he would never go to war again.

Patience believes that the atrocities that the Nazis and Japanese are inflicting on people cannot go unaddressed. Many people in Hope River are very supportive of the US involvement in WWII, and they don't understand Dan's refusal to even register for the draft.

Dan takes a moral stand and refuses to budge, not even when he is imprisoned for refusing to register. His family also suffers the consequences for Dan's decision. The children are taunted and get into fights, and Patience is run ragged trying to keep up with the farm and her midwife responsibilities.

Once a Midwife gives the reader an insight into life in a small town at this point in history.  We see how people deal with racism, the consequences of taking an unpopular stand, and how small towns come together to support each other in good times and bad.

One interesting topic covered is the use of German and Japanese POW labor in the United States during the war. It's not something that is well-known. The POWs were shipped to the United States, and many of them worked on farms because there was such a shortage of labor with so many men at war. I found that section fascinating.

Once a Midwife is a terrific book for those who like historical fiction, and Harman ties some things happening today in our country with things going on back then that will make you think.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Patricia Harman's tour. The rest of her stops are here:

Tour Stops

Tuesday, November 20th: A Chick Who Reads

Monday, November 26th: Into the Hall of Books

Tuesday, November 27th: bookchickdi

Wednesday, November 28th: M. Denise Costello

Thursday, November 29th: Kritters Ramblings

Friday, November 30th: Instagram: @simplykelina

Monday, December 3rd: Literary Quicksand

Tuesday, December 4th: Tina Says…

Wednesday, December 5th: Staircase Wit

Thursday, December 6th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Friday, December 7th: What Is That Book About

TBD: The Book Diva’s Reads

Tony's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Tony's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
Published by Harper ISBN 9780062319258
Hardcover, $28.99, 496 pages

Adriana Trigiani's newest novel, Tony's Wife, begins in 1932 Detroit. Saverio Armandonada (that's a mouthful!) is on his way to work in the Ford motor plant, along with this father Leone and all the other men in the neighborhood.

Saverio's job is to bolt the driver's door handle on 978 cars every day, ten hours a day, six days a week. On the seventh day, Saverio sings in the church choir. He has the loveliest voice in the choir, everyone said so.

On Christmas Eve, he was all set to give fellow choir member Cheryl a beautiful necklace and declare his love. When his love life doesn't work out as he planned, he gets an offer to audition for a band. His father is furious that Saverio would give up a good steady job for the unknown life as a singer, and throws him out of the house.

Chi Chi Donatelli lives in New Jersey with her family, where they all work in a textile factory. But Chi Chi dreams of being a singer, and her father supports her, even building a studio in their garage to record Chi Chi and her sisters in the hopes of becoming the next big girl group.

Chi Chi meets Saverio, hoping that he can get her record to a music label. They spend the day at the beach, and Tony is smitten with Chi Chi, although she is wary of his playboy ways. Tony is invited to the Donatellis for Sunday dinner, and he envies Chi Chi the warmth of her family. How he wished he had that!

Saverio and Chi Chi both dream of becoming stars, and they fall in love and marry. Chi Chi fears that becoming a wife and mother will force her to give up the life she has come to relish- writing and recording songs, performing on stage with Sav (now known as Tony Arma).

They move to Hollywood, where Chi Chi writes songs and cares for their children, while Tony tours the country and works as an actor in films. Chi Chi wants the traditional Italian family that she grew up with, but it appears that Tony may no longer want that. Can their marriage survive?

Anyone who loves the music of the 1940s and 1950s will adore Tony's Wife. Trigiani names each chapter as a direction in music- Feroce, Crescendo, Teneramente- adding to the authenticity of this engaging story. She even includes song lyrics throughout and a Tony Arma discography at the end of the book.

I found Chi Chi's story so very captivating. She is such a strong woman, a woman who took care of her family's finances and took charge of her career and life, all the time remaining traditional to her family values. I absolutely fell in love with her!

As with everyone, there are ups and downs in Chi Chi's life, happy times and incredibly sad and challenging times too. Once again, the cover art work is astonishing, and the descriptions of family meals and the beautiful clothing so evocative that you use all of your senses while reading this gorgeous story.

Tony's Wife would make a perfect hostess gift if you are traveling for Thanksgiving, as well as a lovely gift during this holiday season. Pair it with a Frank Sinatra record and a bottle of good Chianti as a gift to your best friend as well as for yourself.  I highly recommend Tony's Wife.

Adriana Trigiani's website is here, and you can follow her on Facebook here.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Adriana Trigiani's tour. The rest of her stops are here: 

Tour Stops

Tuesday, November 20th: bookchickdi

Wednesday, November 21st: Life By Kristen

Monday, November 26th: she treads softly

Tuesday, November 27th: Tina Says…

Wednesday, November 28th: The many thoughts of a reader

Thursday, November 29th: Instagram: @shereadswithcats

Friday, November 30th: Instagram: @sweetbookobsession

Monday, December 3rd: Instagram: @bookishmadeleine

Tuesday, December 4th: Wining Wife

Wednesday, December 5th: Instagram: @ladyofthelibrary

Thursday, December 6th: Velvet Spade Reads

Friday, December 7th: Instagram: @ciannereads

Monday, December 10th: Kritters Ramblings

Tuesday, December 11th: Instagram: @storiesandcoffee

Wednesday, December 12th: View from the Birdhouse

Thursday, December 13th: Instagram: @owlslittlelibrary

Friday, December 14th: Always With a Book

Monday, December 17th: Instagram: @direads

Tuesday, December 18th: Instagram: @books.tea.quotes

Wednesday, December 19th: Instagram: @girlwithnoselfie

Thursday, December 20th: Instagram: @createexploreread

Friday, December 21st: Instagram: @strandedinbooks

Wednesday, December 26th: A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, December 27th: Instagram: @crystal_clears_the_shelves

Wednesday, January 2nd: Lit and Life

Thursday, January 3rd: Based on a True Story

Friday, January 4th: A Night’s Dream of Books

Friday, January 4th: Thoughts On This ‘n That

Start Without Me by Joshua Max Feldman

Start Without Me by Joshua Max Feldman
Published by William Morrow ISBN 9780062668738
Trade paperback, $16.99, 276 pages

If you're dreading your Thankgiving visit home, just be glad that you are not Adam and Marissa, the two main characters in Joshua Max Feldman's novel Start Without Me. 

Adam awakens in the basement of his parents' home, his first visit back home in many years. After years of alcohol abuse, rehab stints and disappointing his family, musician Adam wants to surprise his parents and siblings by making the morning coffee. When he knocks the coffee pot off the counter and it shatters, he takes off, not wanting to disappoint his family once again.

He ends up in a restaurant where he meets Marissa, a flight attendant who is on her way to her husband Robbie's family's home in Massachusetts. Robbie is from a wealthy family, and his father is planning a run for governor of the state.

Marissa and Adam bond over breakfast, and she ends up taking him to her husband's family Thanksgiving. Robbie is unsuccessfully trying to make a living as an independent filmmaker, and he resents Marissa being away so much.

His father is often absent, and when he is there is distant. His mother is overbearing and domineering. Sister Laila is home, and Robbie and Laila instantly revert to their childhood roles once back in each other's sight.

Marissa's family life was nothing like Robbie's. She grew up poor, her mother an addict who frequently left Marissa and her younger sister alone, like the time she left them at a McDonald's alone for five hours on Thanksgiving Day when they were just young children.

When Marissa's sister calls and asks her to come spend Thanksgiving with her family at their mother's home, Marissa resists. She'd love to see her sister and niece, but seeing her mother is not something she is ready for.

After Adam tells Marissa about his former girlfriend, the love of his life, she gives him money for a bus ticket to go see her and make amends. But Adam hasn't told her the whole story.

Start Without Me is a sad tale of two people who try to resolve issues in their past that threaten their future. They both are looking to escape the bad knocks life has dealt them, as well as deal with their own bad choices.

Feldman's writing conjures up some vivid imagery, as when Adam dreams of "the texture and resistance of the keys under his fingertips, the beer residue in the metal mesh of the mic on his lips, the bass rumble from the stage through his torso." You can actually feel that as you read it.

Two important things I learned from reading this book: don't ever ask a band to play "Freebird" and do not hit the call button on an airplane to complain that the tarmac delay (or anything else) is "unacceptable". Both are good to know.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Joshua Max Feldman's tour. The rest of his stops are here:

Tour Stops

Tuesday, November 13th: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

Thursday, November 15th: Write – Read – Life

Monday, November 19th: bookchickdi

Tuesday, November 20th: Wining Wife

Monday, November 26th: Instagram: @kate.olson.reads

Tuesday, November 27th: Staircase Wit

Wednesday, November 28th: Instagram: @the_need_to_read

Thursday, November 29th: Instagram: @notthepathtonarnia

Tuesday, December 4th: Comfy Reading

Wednesday, December 5th: Jackie Reads Books

Monday, December 10th: As I turn the pages