I’m shouting it out today for a new novel by local-to-me writer Mike Bernard: Gaelic and Garlic: A Boston Love Story. As someone with a full Irish father and a full Italian mother, this one spoke to me!
Completing the Boston Irish Belt Trilogy along with Dorchester’s CROSSING THE SAGAMORE and Southie’s THE CROSSING GUARDS, comes Charlestown’s GAELIC & GARLIC: A Boston Love Story.
Among the most overlooked ethnic problems in the country was the division between Irish and Italians. Historically two of the poorest immigrant communities, they clashed on everything from jobs to housing to politics. As rivals, both were always treated with suspicion and fear. No Italian boy would ever bring an Irish girl home to dinner, and the Irish were even less welcoming.
When East Boston’s Antonio Domenicio Riccardo Maximilianus PrestiDiGiovanni meets Charlestown-tough Margaret Katherine Philomena Coventina O’Shaughnessy (for a combined total of 39 syllables!) they have no idea how their lives are intersected. Richie and Mary Kate both live in a world where things should have been – but one simple decision changed the whole trajectory of their lives.
GAELIC & GARLIC is a heartwarming and hilarious story about discovering love when you least expect it, and finding comfort in family and traditions.
Family.
It’s what makes us different and what helps us stick together. We’re Italian first and foremost. Or we’re Irish. Or English. Or Spanish. Or Asian. Doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, to the outside world we’re loud and boastful and clannish and full of ethnic pride. But the truth is, we’re bonded by the best and worst of ourselves. The devotion, the blind faith, the disappointment, the ball-busting, the insanity, the passion – we’re the sum of all of it and that’s why we hold each other close. It’s family, and families are tricky. There is so much there that can flatten us, knock us to our knees and then help us rise and stand tall. If nothing else, we have each other, because when it really matters, families stick together. No one stands a chance if they’re alone.To the Irish and Italian in all of us.
Sláinte and Alla Salute!
About the Author:
Mike Bernard is a multi-optioned screenwriter and author. His work has been recognized internationally in the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, PAGE International Screenplay Competition, NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL and Los Angeles Screenplay competitions. His ‘midlife crisis’ writing career began when his children and his money went off to college – checks made out to Loyola University Maryland (x2) and Assumption College respectively.
Mike is a graduate of Providence College and Boston College High School. He resides on Cape Cod with his wife Michele.
He spends his summers losing to someone twice his age in Pickleball, and his winters aimlessly roaming the aisles of Home Depot.
I love this series so much! The latest one in the series has Georgie with her young baby and husband tucked away against the cold in her large manor home, but nothing is quiet and simple! The incorrigible Mrs. Simpson comes to stay, Georgie’s brother and his family arrive, and a movie producer and team descend on the estate to make a film. It’s all a little much and when people start disappearing, and dying, Georgie must figure out what is happening in order to bring her peace and quiet back.
Highly recommended as a fun, cozy series that you don’t have to read in order – but even more fun if you do!
Here’s the scoop:
Description
New mother Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch finds herself trying to separate fact from fiction when a murder occurs while a film is being made on the grounds of her estate in a new Royal Spyness Mystery from beloved bestselling author Rhys Bowen.
It’s late 1936, and King Edward is in turmoil, having fallen in love with the scandalously divorced and even more scandalously American Wallis Simpson. He wants to marry her but knows that doing so will jeopardize his crown. Edward confides in his dear friend Darcy, Georgie’s husband, and the couple agree to hide Wallis in their home while Edward figures out what to do.
But unbeknownst to Georgie and Darcy, Sir Hubert, the owner of the estate, has given a film crew permission to shoot a motion picture about Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn on the grounds. Trying to keep Mrs. Simpson hidden while raising a newborn baby seems like it couldn’t be any more stressful for the Rannochs, until one of the stars of the film is found murdered on set. Georgie must solve the murder for king and country before scandal threatens to envelop them all.
I love, love, love to read books about the holidays during holiday time and this year was no exception. I read or listened to four different ones this year: The Christmas Book Hunt, Christmas at Glitter PeakLodge, Holiday Hideaway, and Santa Overboard. The last two were both audiobooks.
I received The Christmas Book Hunt a short story by Jenny Colgan free with my Prime membership. I loved it! It was the perfect length. It had the right amount of romance as well and it was about my favorite thing: books!
A heartwarming meet-cute short story from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christmas Bookshop.
A Christmas mission…
Mirren’s beloved great-aunt Violet is seriously ill. Her one Christmas wish is to be reunited with a long-lost hand-illustrated book from her childhood, a challenge Mirren gladly accepts to give Violet some much-needed festive cheer.
An enchanting journey…
With no sign of the cherished volume online, Mirren falls into the fascinating world of rare books. From London to snowy Hay-on-Wye and Edinburgh’s cobbled streets, she chases leads from bookshop to bookshop—and bumps into mysterious, charming Theo, who, unbeknownst to her, is searching for the same book for reasons of his own…
The start of a new chapter?
As the two join forces to track the book down before time runs out for Violet, will Mirren find her Christmas miracle—and maybe even a kiss under the mistletoe… ?
For fans of Josie Silver, Jill Mansell and the Queen of Christmas herself, a snow-swept love story to warm even the coldest winter’s day.
I was sent Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge by Kjersti Herland Johnsen by the publicist. This one can be read one chapter a day “like an Advent calendar” it said. Loved it! I loved the mix of mystery and romance:
Mark the days till Christmas with this feel-good cozy mystery set at a quaint family inn in the snowy mountains of Norway—structured as an advent calendar for your daily reading pleasure.
An old mystery. A tragic accident. Secrets. Confessions. A new beginning.
After a traumatic climbing accident, well-known Alpinist Ingrid Berg has returned to the small Norwegian village that her family has called home for generations to take over the management of the Glitter Peak Lodge from her aging grandmother, who’s no longer up to the task. With Christmas rapidly approaching, the Glitter Peak Lodge staff are busy bakingkransekake and saffron buns, decorating an enormous tree with tinsel, and enlisting guests to participate in their Santa Lucia celebration.
But within short order of Ingrid’s return, complications arise that seem out of the ordinary. Unexpected cancellations. An outspoken American guest who seems to unsettle Ingrid’s beloved grandmother. Leaking pipes that may imply sabotage. And then one day, Ingrid discovers a yellowed, decades-old newspaper clipping about an unsolved local mystery…
Will Ingrid be able to figure out what’s going on in time to save the inn—and her family’s legacy—from ruin?
The ultimate holiday treat, Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge is a testament to the healing power of family and home and the magical bonds of community. Set up like an advent calendar, with twenty-four chapters, each set on a different day in December leading up to Christmas, it can be savored one chapter a day or devoured in one sitting.
“Delightful and charming—a breath of lovely mountain air!” —Jenny Colgan, author of The Bookshop on the Corner and The Christmas Bookshop
I got Mary Kay Andrews’ Holiday Hideaway via Prime for free and paid less than $2 for the audiobook for my commute. It is a fun short story. Romance! Christmas! Happy endings!
From New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews comes a charming holiday romance about a newly single thirtysomething whose unauthorized vacation rental turns into a hilarious game of hide-and-seek when the new owner unexpectedly shows up.
Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.
George Holloway is here to sell his granduncle’s house—and to reconsider whether he and his fiancée are right for each other. Amid home repairs, George notices strange noises and missing food, but as much as he gets his rental agent on the phone, Tilly dodges every invitation to meet. He’s sure that someone’s here with him, and it’s certainly not the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future.
As Tilly and George circle each other, they both wonder where their lives are headed and if, maybe, meeting each other is just the Christmas miracle they need.
Finally, via Net Galley I received the audiobook of Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride. It was a fun read, though – warning – what I’d call “spicy” in spots. I did laugh out loud at some parts.
A Small-Town Holiday Rom-Com
“Grab a cozy blanket and your favorite Christmas scented candle because we’re back with Katie and the Beach Bonfire Babes! This was just the book to get me into the spirit of Christmas plus lots of laughs along the way.” —Simply Nicole
‘Twas the night before Cruisemas…
Katie Young is embracing her new life in a charming riverfront town in Virginia. With her devoted friends, the Beach Bonfire Babes, a budding romance with a swoon-worthy scientist, and her college-age daughter baking up holiday traditions in their cozy river house, the season promises to make up for past struggles.
As captain of the town’s Christmas boat parade, Katie can’t wait to ferry Santa to the dock on her new boat. But when plans go off course and Santa takes an unexpected dip, Katie and her trusty crew navigate the stormy seas of midlife in the best way they know how—with their favorite foods, a cocktail or two, and a dash of holiday magic.
Brimming with laughter, the natural beauty of the Potomac Shores, and yummy holiday recipes, Santa Overboard is a quick read that delivers the perfect Christmas gift: a second chance at a forever love.
For the backstory on Katie and the Beach Bonfire Babes, check out Carolyn McBride’s The Cicada Spring, the first book in the Potomac Shores series.
I love a twisty thriller and this one had me reading it straight through! I wanted to figure out what each of these characters were up to and who was hiding what. It reminded me of a Shari Lapena read, if you enjoy her novels (I do!). When I read these novels, I just want to move to England and live in one of these neighborhoods (but no murders, please!). And no, I did not figure it all out. And look at that author bio. This author is on a roll!! He’s definitely one to watch.
Thank you for my copy, for letting me participate in the tour, and for giving me the opportunity to share this one with readers!
Book Description:
Even the most perfect home can hide shocking secrets. But on this peaceful street, is one of them dangerous enough to kill for?
Young married couple Heidi and Freddie just moved to Huntington Grove. All the neighbours see they are friendly and polite but why is one door in their house always locked?
Across the street, Willow tries not to argue with her teenage daughter – even as her marriage is falling apart. And where does her husband really go each night, leaving the bed beside her cold?
Feeling lonely, she always waves hello to single dad Dylan next door. His wife died in a tragic murder. The culprit was never found. It’s no surprise there are rumours he was involved…
On a beautiful sunny day, it’s time for the whole street to gather for a summer party. Everyone plasters on a fake smile. But soon the picnic tables will be overturned, sirens will blare – and one of the residents will be marched away in police handcuffs.
Everyone at the party will be questioned. But everyone will lie…And with every household hiding something, who has a secret big enough to kill for?
An absolutely addictive psychological thriller that proves you can never really know what goes on behind closed doors. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena and The Perfect Marriage.
Author Bio:
Kerry Wilkinson is from the English county of Somerset but has spent far too long living in the north. It’s there that he’s picked up possibly made-up regional words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’. He pretends to know what they mean.
He’s also been busy since turning thirty: his Jessica Daniel crime series has sold more than a million copies in the UK; he has written a fantasy-adventure trilogy for young adults; a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter and the standalone thriller, Down Among The Dead Men.
This was a suspenseful and twisty thriller, with lots of suspects. It was a bit sad, too, as the deceased young woman just wanted to fit in and have friends.
If you enjoy psychological suspense, I’m sure you’d love to check this one out!
Here’s the scoop:
Book Description:
On the last day of school, my friends and I gather on the beach to celebrate the long summer ahead. Sipping cans of warm cider and watching campfire embers dance into the inky sky, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. Until a scream pierces the night. The next morning, we find shy newcomer Pippa on the beach, sandflies gathering on her lifeless body…
I told the police I didn’t see anything that night. I was young, scared, and full of guilt. I heard my friends telling the same story. It’s a lie that has haunted me ever since.
Now, twenty years later, on the anniversary of Pippa’s death, another one of our group is found dead. As we gather once again to say goodbye, I know it can’t be a coincidence. I look around at the tear-stained faces of my old school friends – people I thought I could trust – a protective hand on my growing belly. The police are asking questions again, and I have an impossible decision to make.
Do I tell one more lie, or confront my worst nightmare; that one of us is a killer, and one of us is next…
Fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Girl on the Train will absolutely devour this page-turning psychological thriller. Prepare to be hooked from the very first page!
Author Bio:
Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller HER HUSBAND’S HOUSE comes to you from BOOKOUTURE. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels, The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love.
“Despite evidence to the contrary, I do not think of myself as a particularly courageous soul. I am not content to bask in my accomplishments nor do I spend much time tooting my own horn. I wasn’t raised that way. I was taught to downplay my successes. To steer clear of vanity. I was raised to be humble. So, as I sit down to write this, I hope you’ll forgive me for saying something completely out of character here, but I feel the need to tell you that 779 kilometers is a long way to walk – and I walked every single step…
…As you travel along with me on my journey, I invite you to take the opportunity to explore the spaces around you. Notice the way the sunshine peaks peek through the leaves of the dogwood tree. Listen to the gentle whirr of the wings of the hummingbird. Smell the salt in the sea air. Use your senses. Pay attention to the things that we are often too busy to see. To hear. To smell. Let them take you inward. See where the path leads you.
Buen Camino.”
So if you know me, you might know that my husband and I hope to walk the Camino when we retire in a few years. It was We Love Memoirs Day on August 31 and Suzanne’s publicist at PR By the Book had reached out about whether I’d like to read/feature her new novel. Since I’m a little obsessed with the Camino, I said yes (even though my tbr is hovering around 200 right now and I’ve just started a new full time job and was named to a selection committee for a major children’s book award so that’s another 90 books to read). What first amazed me about this book is how much Suzanne and I had in common. It actually was almost weird. I grew up in the North Bay Area (Napa) and Suzanne lives in Sonoma County. We both have grown children. She was turning 60 (I’m turning 59 – shhh! don’t tell). We both are Italian and Catholic. We both grew up in similar families (those Suzanne’s seemed like they had more means than mine did). We both went to BC. We both had loving but “complicated” relationships with our mother. We even both have great husbands and kids that we are close to!
So it was probably no surprise that I loved this book so much! Suzanne’s journey is personal, physical, and spiritual and I related to it so much. I loved “walking along” with her and hearing about the people she met and her thoughts and ruminations while on the Camino. I have friends who have walked the Appalachian Trail (it took months – a friend and her 15 children – see the blog “32 Feet Up”) but the Camino can also be a pilgrimage and I find that so compelling. This was a quick read for me, but a memorable one. Thank you for reaching out to me and for my copy so that I could share in Suzanne’s journey.
Here’s some information about the author:
Throughout her 30 year career as a licensed clinical social worker, Suzanne Maggio has helped hundreds of families improve their relationships by encouraging them to open their hearts and share their stories. She now trains the new generation of helpers as a university lecturer in Psychology, Counseling and Social Work. The granddaughter of Italian immigrants, she grew up understanding the importance of family and the pleasures of gathering around a dining room table laden with good company and delicious food. Passionate about travel, cooking and sports, Suzanne is an avid baseball fan. She attended her first New York Mets baseball game at the age of eight with her grandfather, a former sports writer from Italy. In 2016 she won a silver award from Travelers Tales for “Yo Soy,” a story about the search for identity while traveling in Nicaragua. Her work has been published in Sonoma Family Life, an award winning parenting magazine and Junior Baseball Magazine.
She lives in Northern California with her husband, where they raised their two sons and where they now manage three rambunctious dogs and a brood of demanding chickens.
This was a thrilling, sometimes creepy novel by an author that I’ve enjoyed before. I loved the supernatural element in this story! It kept me up reading at night.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my review copy!
Here’s the scoop:
Description
A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases.
July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.
When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.
I LOVE this series – cozy mysteries featuring Julia Bird, former social worker, single older woman, and dog lover! In this one a body is found off a cliff near a popular walking trail and Julia is sure that it is not an accident. I actually didn’t figure this one out in advance either.
Thank you for my copy and for having me on the tour!
Book Description:
Julia Bird loves a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing quite like the fresh air and green rolling hills of the Cotswolds to clear your head. Unless you come across a dead body, that is…
When the local Berrywick vet, Dr Eve Davies, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the police believe it’s nothing more than a tragic accident, but Julia isn’t so sure. Just a few days earlier when she took her dog, Jake, to the vets, Dr Eve said she believed something awful was about to happen. It turns out she was right…
But who would want the beloved village vet dead? Was it her mother Kay, a down-and-out gambler who stands to inherit her unwedded daughter’s home? Was it her assistant Olga, who was close to getting fired? Or was it her cut-throat tennis partner Will, with whom Dr Eve had an argument shortly before she took a tumble? And who is the stranger skulking around Berrywick peering into people’s windows?
When a second body appears in the exact spot where Dr Eve was found, Julia knows it can’t be a coincidence. Both victims were pushed off the cliff, but why? Should Julia let sleeping dogs lie, or will she be like a dog with a bone to find the murderer?
A totally gripping and charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries.
Author Bio:
Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats.
I love being in on the first installment of a new cozy mytery series and this one was engaging and fun to read. I also love a protagonist who is, shall we say, a “woman of a certain age” who is intelligent, strong, and interesting. Ally McKinley is starting a new life with a bed and breakfast in the Highlands when one of her guests ends up murdered!
I enjoyed this novel and definitely look forward to more in the series!
Thanks for letting me be part of the tour and for my copy.
Book Description:
Majestic mountain views, whisky by the fire and… a murder to solve? Join Ally McKinley at her cosy little guesthouse in the Scottish Highlands as she tackles her first puzzling case!
For recently retired Ally McKinley, the tiny village of Locharran is the perfect place to open the guesthouse of her dreams in a lovingly restored old Scottish malthouse. Before long she is making friends with the locals, including Hamish Sinclair, the earl who owns the nearby castle. But things take an unexpected turn when her first paying guest, American tourist Wilbur Carrington, is found sprawled across her cobblestoned courtyard with a dagger in his back…
With the police baffled, Ally’s instincts get the better of her, and she can’t resist launching her own investigation. In no time at all she and her Labrador puppy Flora are on the case, making enquiries over tea and excellent shortbread. She finds that Wilbur, a keen amateur genealogist, was convinced that he was the rightful Earl of Locharran… Even worse, he had plans that would put many people out of their jobs and even their homes.
But which of the locals resorted to murder? The hotel owner furiously trying to save his business? Locharran Castle’s fiercely loyal housekeeper who’d do anything for the earl? Or the earl himself, whose entire way of life was threatened by what Wilbur knew?
Looking for clues, Ally finds a faded photograph in a hidden drawer in Wilbur’s room. Could this be the key to solving the mystery? But when one of her suspects dies in a suspicious accident, Ally realises that things are getting a wee bit too close for comfort… Can she uncover the truth or will a killer get off scot-free?
An utterly unputdownable new Scottish cosy mystery series from bestselling author Dee MacDonald. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Clare Chase.
Author Bio:
Aged 18, Dee arrived in London from Scotland and typed her way round the West End for a couple of years before joining BOAC (forerunner of British Airways) in Passenger Services for 2 years and then as a stewardess for 8 years.
She has worked in Market Research, Sales and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise.
Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70!
Nothing says summer like a suspenseful read you can’t put down! This was a great read and I kept thinking how it’d make a super engaging limited series on Netflix. It felt a bit like a Harlan Coben mystery. It kept me up for two nights until I finished it. I did like the ending as well!
Book Description:
My darling son is accused of attacking the girl next door. He would never do this… Would he?
I have the perfect family: my loving, devoted partner. Our sons, so thoughtful and affectionate despite their teenage angst. But everything changes when our friendly neighbours move in.
Their daughter Rachel is so pretty and bubbly. Her giggles float over our garden fence. I can see our boys are falling for her, fighting for her affection.
Then Rachel falls from her bedroom window. Her life is hanging in the balance. And to my horror, her parents think my son Jacob pushed her.
I know my sensitive son would never do such a thing, but he is hiding something. A mother always knows, doesn’t she? And who is spreading nasty rumours in our neighbourhood about me and my partner, about history repeating itself?
Then I find Rachel’s broken sunflower necklace in my home, and my world falls apart. It’s unbearable, but I must face the truth. Someone’s child is fighting for their life. And someone in my family hurt her.
With Rachel at death’s door, is Jacob in terrible danger too? And how far will I have to go to protect him?
A totally unputdownable and thrilling psychological suspense novel with a gasp-out-loud twist. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Clare Mackintosh and K.L. Slater.
Author Bio:
Karen King was born in Birmingham and has always enjoyed reading and writing. She’s been published for over thirty years, in a variety of genres for both children and adults. She loves writing about the complexities of relationships. Her first three books for Bookouture were romances where relationships came right, she has now turned to the darker side of relationships, writing two psychological thrillers about relationships that go badly wrong. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.
Beth's Book-Nook Blog 