Blog - Eat, Tan, Read

June Wrap Up

May Recap:
2 Books
641 pages (6:27:08 hours)
Average Rating 4.5

🎧A Wrinkle in Time 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A Deadly Influence 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Another month gone, they just seem to fly by these days.
The weather is getting nicer and I am looking forward to lounging outside in the sun relaxing with a book but first outside chores must be done. Top of the list is weeding the flower beds and getting the garden planted. Gonna need to have the Aleve handy. 😄
This year for me has been about reading when I can and not getting frustrated with myself when my completed numbers are low. Normally I would be very disappointed in only finishing 2 books, but I am learning to stop comparing my numbers to others and just be happy that I had the extra time for those two. Life is crazy busy some times and we need to give ourselves more credit. I am happy. I am healthy. I love my family and the life I live. That’s enough for me. I know that I will have big reading months and slow months, but it’s not a competition, just enjoy it when I can.

A Wrinkle in Time – (Middle Grade, Classic, Sci-Fi) Meg, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin are visited by three mysterious women, Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. They have come to help the children retrieve their father who went missing. A scientist who works on classified experiments for the government was on assignment when all communications with his family stopped.
“A straight line is not the shortest distance between two points” rather a tesseract, or creating a wrinkle in the fabric of space, is. The children must tesser to another planet in order to save their father, and the universe, from The Darkness.

A Deadly Influence – (Thriller,Police Procedural) Hostage negotiator Abby Mullen gets a call from a fellow cult survivor Eden. Eden’s son has been kidnapped and the ransome is $5 million . As Abby gets further into the investigation, her past is coming back to haunt her.

🔸️🔸️Book Mail!🔸️🔸️

Happy Thursday everyone!

Today is the 14th anniversary of my husband and I’s first date. Every year we go on a date to celebrate.🍾💕🥰
We go on normal dates too but we always make this one extra special.

I also received some awesome book mail! So excited for this one! Thank you Kensington Books for this gifted copy!

The Second Life of Mireille West
Amanda Skenandore
Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 7/27/2021

Blurb:
In this thought-provoking and sensitive novel, inspired by the true story of a Louisiana leprosy hospital where patients were forcibly quarantined, acclaimed author Amanda Skenandore tells an extraordinarily timely tale of resilience, hope–and the last woman who expected to find herself in such a place…

🏅Top Shelf Tuesday🏅

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This week’s pick is:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Millennium Series book 1
by Stieg Larsson
Mystery Crime Thriller
Paperback
Published by Vintage Crime, June 2009

Another Bora Bora vacation read that I devoured. I read this one in 2015, after the Swedish and the co-produced Swedish/American/United Kingdom movies were out. I LOVE Mara Rooney as Lisbeth! Hands down, I could not have casted better 😁.
So of course I wanted to read the book. I had no idea that I would love it and the rest of the series as much as I do. Lisbeth Salander is a character that I have never encountered before and I absolutely love her! She is the ultimate female badass.
I have not ventured on to the later books in the series written by David Lagercrantz. I’m a chicken like that. I know that I will eventually. But if you haven’t checked out these books you should!

Between Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series I’m a huge Scandinavian Crime Noir!

⚜⚜ eBook Mail ⚜⚜

I received a perfect book for this special day of remembering those that lost their lives protecting us.

Bury Him: A Memoir of the Viet Nam War
by: Captain Doug Chamberlain
Pub date: 10/28/2019

Thank you Mr. Chamberlain for this gifted copy!

Blurb:
A first-person account of what life was really like for Marine infantry units during this formative time of American and Vietnamese history.

Ordered to take command of a company of Marines, Capt. Doug Chamberlain endured many challenges. One challenge was a direct order to bury the remains of a Marine that had been left behind by another unit and be forced to participate in the following cover-up. The order was in direct contraction of United States Marine Corps Policy and the Warrior’s Honor Code of never leaving any Marine behind. Following this order meant committing an act of incomprehensible betrayal and dishonor.

In this captivating new book, Capt. Chamberlain explains in detail the events that transpired as he was forced into playing the role of a political pawn in a massive wartime cover-up. Capt. Chamberlain expertly paints a picture of deceit and military malfeasance, sharing with the reader the moral and mental struggles that ate away at him in the decades that followed this horrible act.

V is for ….

V is for …. Vampires

Nobody writes vampires like Anne Rice! Over the years, I have read many a variety of vampires but Lestat reigns above them all.

A pretty good looking V stack if I say so myself. The Vampire Chronicles were not my first vampire books but they quickly became my favorite. Starting reading them in high-school and into my early 20s. I will be honest I have not picked up an Anne Rice book in a very long time. I have one on list that I am hoping to get to this year however.
The Vampire Lestat is book 2 and The Vampire Armand is book 6.

Nora Roberts’ Valley of Silence is very good as well! Book 3 in the Circle Trilogy so it’s when everything comes to a head! I really enjoyed this series but then I am never disappointed in Nora Roberts.

Looking forward to:
Violets are Blue – Book 7 in the Alex Cross series, I am only on book 2 😁. But my husband, among others, loves this series!

U is for ….

U is for…. uncommon

I clearly am lacking in U options but actually surprised I have two. 😄

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook is awesome! It is completely unaffiliated with the HP books, author, publishers, movies,Warner Brothers, etc. It is a book of recipes for literally every food mentioned in all 7 novels. It does include the obvious ones like Caldron Cakes and Pumpkin Juice but also English Fried Eggs and a Gammon of Bacon and Crumpets. What makes this Cookbook even more fun is it includes where in the story each food item is referenced and provides a little history lesson in British and Irish culture from which they derive from. A wonderful addition to my HP collection.

Looking forward to:
I have not read any of Karen Slaughter’s series as I only have book 7 (Unseen) and book 8 (The Kept Woman) however I am looking forward to them once I get the first 6.😁
I am a huge sucker for a dark thriller.
“Her latest thriller, Unseen, pits detectives, lovers, and enemies against one another in an unforgettable standoff between righteous courage and deepest evil.”
“In a novel of fierce intensity, shifting allegiances, and shocking twists, two investigations collide with a conspiracy straddling both sides of the law. Karin Slaughter’s latest is both an electrifying thriller and a piercing study of human nature: what happens when good people face the unseen evils in their

🏅Top Shelf Tuesday 🏅

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am not having the best day myself, feeling ill and really worn down. Busy and stressful life is just taking a little toll. But I did not want to miss my next installment of Top Shelf Tuesday, I really look forward to sharing some of my great reads with you!

This week’s pick is:

Dark Places
by Gillian Flynn
Thriller
Paperback
Published by Broadway Books, October 2014

The story behind this one began about 7 years ago, when this edition was published 🙂. A work friend had joined a book club and this was their next pick. She was not really all that interested in it and was a little miffed about having to spend $10 on the book. So I offered her a deal, I would pay half and then after she was done reading it for the book club, she would give it to me to keep. She agreed, and I am so glad because I love this book! 😁

In January 1985 the Day family was murdered in their home, all but two were killed, Libby- 7 and Ben- 15. Libby testified that it was her brother Ben that killed her mom and two sisters that night. The Kinnakee Kansas Farmhouse Massacre they called it. But had she lied?

I had already seen the movie, of course, so the cat was already out of the bag, but even still this was a great read. And of course the book is significantly better. To those that have not seen the movie, you are in for a treat, you will be guessing and kept on your toes every page. I have been recommending this book to all my thriller lover friends, even if you have already seen the movie it’s worth it. This is for adults only, includes violence, language, drug use, and sexual content.

See here for full review!

📚 Currently Reading 📚

Wilmington’s Lie
David Zucchino
Grove Atlantic
History, Non-fiction
Pub Date: 1/19/21

I chose this book for my May #dyrc21 History read. Thank you Grove Atlantic for the gifted copy!

How do we become better when we are always pretending the past never happened?

When reading a book full of hate, I use a bookmark about love.

Back Cover Blurb:
From Pulitzer Prize winner David Zucchino comes a searing account of the Wilmington massacre and the coup of 1898, a rare violent overthrow of an elected government within the United States. By 1898, Wilmington, North Carolina, was a shining example of a mixed-race community. But across the South, white supremacist Democrats were working to reverse the advances made by black citizens. In North Carolina they devised a coordinated campaign of intimidation and violence that culminated in Wilmington on November 10, 1898, when 2,000 heavily armed white nightriders swarmed through the city, forcing city officials and leading black citizens to flee at gunpoint, terrorizing women and children, and shooting at least sixty black men dead in the streets.

This brutal insurrection halted gains made by blacks in Wilmington and restored racism as official government policy, cementing white rule for another seventy years. Wilmington’s Lie weaves together individual stories of hate and brutality, resulting in a dramatic and definitive account of a forgotten chapter of American history.

🏅Top Shelf Tuesday 🏅

Happy Tuesday everyone! Just spent most of the day getting my blog back online. 😵 Had an update issue occur and took me forever to figure it out. But I got it resolved thanks to the help of Hostgator support! Whew, back in business and on with the show.

This week’s pick is:

The Host
The Host Book 1
by Stephanie Meyer
Science Fiction, Aliens, New Adult
Paperback
Published by Little Brown and Company, May 2008

I first read this book on vacation in Bora Bora. The Pic of it in my garden is a sad substitute. Whenever I think about it, I am drawn back to that beautiful paradise.
I picked my copy up at a thrift store, I really enjoyed the movie. Seeing how thick it was I knew there had to have so much more to it than what the movie included.
As a normal rule, I like to watch the movie first then read the book. For me, this works out as I love watching movies too. I find that if I read a great book, love it, and then watch the movie, I am usually disappointed. However, if I watch the movie, love it, then read the book, it’s even better but I still love the movie. Win, win. 😁

Synopsis:
The Earth has been invaded by an alien species, they not only invaded Earth but they take over human bodies as well. Melanie Stryder won’t go without a fight when Wanderer takes over her body. As Wanderer is flooded with all Melanie’s memories she is compelled to find the family and the love that was left behind and still in hiding. However, when they find the them, Melanie’s family is not so thrilled that an alien has invaded her.
There is so much more to this story that I don’t want to give away the best parts if you haven’t read it or watched the movie. It’s a mix of Sci-Fi, Thriller, and romance.

T is for ….

T is for …. Tortoises 🐢

Another wonderful selection of books here for “T”! Accompanied with a couple of my beautiful baby torts, Penelope and Dobby.

A favorite of mine is The Time Traveler’s Wife.

I really loved this book and the movie. I enjoy a good time travel story and the love between Clare and Henry is something to be desired. Henry has Chrono-Displacement Disorder, periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity in his life, past and future. Full of all the emotional elements; funny, romantic, sad.

Looking Forward to:

This Poison Will Remain – Commissaire Adamsberg investigates the death of three men linked by their childhood at an orphanage in Nimes, all killed by the venom of the recluse spider.

Tidelands – The story of a poor, uneducated midwife named Alinor who is tempted by a forbidden love affair–but all too aware of the dangers awaiting a woman who dares to step out of the place society carved for her.