Book by Book Summer

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Blog Tour & Review: The Light in Summer by Mary McNear

Title: The Light in Summer
Author: Mary McNear
Series: Butternut Lake, #5
Published: June 2017, William Morrow Paperbacks
Format: ARC Paperback, 366 pages
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary McNear brings you home to Butternut Lake and a novel filled with irresistible characters who you will want to call your friends.

It’s summertime on Butternut Lake, where the heat of noon is soothed by the cool breezes of the evening, where the pace grows slower, and sometimes, just sometimes, the summer light makes everything clearer...

For the lovely Billy Harper, Butternut Lake is the place she feels most at home, even though lately she feels the only one listening to her is Murphy...her faithful Labrador Retriever. Her teenage son, Luke, has gone from precious to precocious practically overnight. Her friends are wrapped up in their own lives, and Luke’s father, Wesley, disappeared before his son was even born. No wonder she prefers to spend time with a good book, especially ones where everything ends in perfection.

But Billy is about to learn that anything is possible during the heady days of summer. Coming to terms with her past—the death of her father, the arrival of Cal Cooper, a complicated man with a definite interest in Billy, even the return of Wesley, will force her to have a little bit of faith in herself and others...and realize that happiness doesn’t always mean perfection.

“Butternut Lake is so beautifully rendered, you’ll wish it was real.”—Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“This triumphant story had me reading until the wee hours of the morning.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber on The Space Between Sisters

My thoughts: I just adore Mary McNear's Butternut Lake series...it's such an enjoyable, light series to read. I know when I pick up one of these books, not only am I going to read about a fun romance or two, but I'm going to read about characters that have real, life-like problems. It's not all fluff and fairy-tale like, but at the same time, it's not all weighed-down heaviness either.

This book was great - it's sort of a mix of book-nerdiess with a touch a romance and a good dose of real-life thrown in. Billy, the female main character - which takes a bit of getting used to the fact that this is a she! - is a librarian and has a thing for her Jane Austen books. I loved this!!! I loved that she would sit with her Jane Austen collection at night to decompress. She's a single parent raising a boy on the cusp of the teen years - who is just on the verge of going down the wrong path...and suddenly wants to know who his father is right this second!

I loved that not only do we get Billy's perspective in this book, but we also get Luke's, Billy's son. Hearing his take on things really helped to see where his head was in all this. And boy were there some tender moments at times - my heart really did break for him! And we also get Cal's perpective - who naturally is the guy who comes into Billy's life. I loved the way Billy and Cal's romance took it's time developing. It wasn't fast by any means and had quite a few obstacles to overcome, but it was one of the sweetest journeys I've read in a while.

One of my favorite relationships, though, in this book was that between Billy and a patron in the library - little Mara. She is a bookworm for sure - a girl after my own heart! She would come into the library and check out a ton of books each time - but my favorite was right before she was headed to go see her grandparents - she was checking out quite a few books, afraid that she wouldn't have enough to get her through the week. Oh how I loved this and could totally see me doing this!!!

This book was such a great installment in an already good series and I hope there are more to come. What I love about this series is that you really don't have to read these books in order - the stories really do stand on their own. So, do yourself a favor and pick one up today - you won't regret it!!!

Books in this series:
     1. Up at Butternut Lake
   2. Butternut Summer
   2.5 Butternut Lake: The Night Before Christmas
   3. Moonlight on Butternut Lake
   4. The Space Between Sisters
   5. The Light in Summer

About the Author: Mary McNear, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Butternut Lake series, writes in a local doughnut shop, where she sips Diet Pepsi, observes the hubbub of neighborhood life, and tries to resist the constant temptation of freshly made doughnuts. Mary bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northern Midwest.

Author Links: Facebook

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Be sure to check out all the other stops on the blog tour and follow the tour on Twitter (hashtags: #TLCBookTours & #TheLightInSummer).

Should You Separate Bookish and Personal Social Media Accounts? | Book Blogging Tips (#63)

We all have social media accounts that may or may not go with our blogs. We all know social media is important to grow your blog, but should you separate the two?

I very often see bloggers who have one account for their blog and one that's personal. In order to determine which one works best for you, you first have to assess what kind of blog you have.

First check if you have a personal blog or a general blog.

Personal blogs are blogs that just focus on your own reading habits, maybe ocassionally featuring guest posts, but generally just feature what you think and what you're reading.
A more general book blog would be a blog with multiple regular contributors that doesn't just feature reviews but has lots of cover reveals, guest posts, rec lists, etc.

A social media account for a personal blog would feel oddly empty, considering that most of us personal bloggers don't put out more than maybe 3-5 posts per week. What would you be posting the other days then? Social media very much relies on regular content and if you have the content to fill it up with, by all means.

The reason why you're making a social media account for your blog is typically to make the whole thing seem less like "this is the blog of XY" and more like "this is a blog about X". Ask yourself - do you really need to dissociate yourself from your blog if it's a personal one? Another thing to consider is that people on social media tend to follow for the unique, constant content.

Examples and questions to ask if you have a personal blog:

Let's say you'll make a special account for your blog only on...

Twitter: You'll use it to crosspost your posts there every time they go live. What else would you do during the times your blog doesn't have any content? Twitter is a medium that relies on constant (opinionated) content. Keeping your account neutral would make it look oddly empty. You'll have to constantly retweet other accounts or interact with other accounts to add some more content.

Verdict: Maybe

Instagram: If you have the motivation and patience to set up a blog-only instagram featuring pictures of your current reads and all, sure! You can certainly do both in one account though. Your call.

Verdict: Sure, if you like

Tumblr: Again, same as with twitter. You'll have to add third-party content to your account to make it worth it.

Verdict: Maybe

Facebook: Plenty of blogs have a facebook site. I think it's actually a very good idea to separate your blog from your personal facebook. It would only make things messy to combine the two.

Verdict: Yes!

At the end of the day you decide what works best and maybe it's a little bit trial and error. Go ahead and make that social media page specifically for your blog if you like, delete it if you dislike it. Easy like that.

Do you have separate accounts for social media?

More Book Blogging Tips:

Do You Need to Post Every Day to be Successful?
Should You Be Commenting Back?
How NOT to Advertise for Your Blog
6 Things Your Blog Design Has To Have
6 Commenting Systems and What Sucks About Them

all book blogging tips

Review: The Space Between Sisters by Mary McNear

Title: The Space Between Sisters
Author: Mary McNear
Series: Butternut Lake, #4
Published: June 2016, William Morrow Paperbacks
Format: ARC Paperback, 336 pages
Source: Publisher

Return to Butternut Lake with the newest from Mary McNear, whose heartfelt and powerful stories have made her a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Here, the complicated bonds of sisterhood are tested, long-kept secrets are revealed, and love is discovered…all during one unforgettable summer at the lake.

Two sisters couldn’t be more different. Win organized and responsible; Poppy impulsive and undependable. Win treads cautiously and plans her life with care; Poppy bounces from job to job and apartment to apartment, leaving others to pick up the pieces. But despite their differences, they share memories of the idyllic childhood summers they spent together on the shores of Butternut Lake. Now, 13 years later, Win, recovering from a personal tragedy, has returned to Butternut Lake, settling into a predictable and quiet life.

Then, one night, Poppy unexpectedly shows up on Win’s doorstep with all her worldly possessions and a mysterious man in tow. And although Win loves her beautiful sister, she wasn’t expecting her to move in for the summer. Still, at first, they relive the joys of Butternut Lake. But their blissful nostalgia soon gives way to conflict, and painful memories and buried secrets threaten to tear the sisters apart.

As the waning days of summer get shorter, past secrets are revealed, new love is found, and the ties between the sisters are tested like never before…all on the serene shores of Butternut Lake.

My thoughts: When I read the previous book in this series, Moonlight on Butternut Lake, I thought it was the final book - I thought it was a trilogy and I was so bummed! I really enjoy these books, so I was ecstatic to see that Mary McNear was still writing this series and this latest installment was just perfect!

One of the best things about this series is that you really don't need to read it in order. Each book really does stand on it's on, especially this one where there are brand new characters and while a few of the characters from past books do pop up, they really are in the periphery.

I loved this story - the story of two sisters. Their relationship and all the angst that came with it was so real and relatable. Having two sisters myself, I could totally sympathize with both Win and Poppy - I understand both of them, having been on both sides at one time or the other. I loved watching their relationship grow during this summer - oh it was tested time and time again, as these sisters are complete opposites, but that was half the fun!

There are so many endearing things to this book, as there usually are in Mary McNear stories, from the charming cat to the adorable little girl Poppy gives twirling lessons to and then there are the men that each women find themselves falling for. This book has a little bit of everything - love in all its many forms and is a great summer read.

Books in this series:
     1. Up at Butternut Lake
   2. Butternut Summer
   2.5 Butternut Lake: The Night Before Christmas
   3. Moonlight on Butternut Lake
   4. The Space Between Sisters
   5. The Light in Summer

Monday, July 3, 2017

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Everything We Left Behind by Kerry Lonsdale

Tomorrow, Everything We Left Behind, the latest book by Kerry Lonsdale comes out and I'm super excited about this one. This is the sequel to her book, Everything We Keep - which I loved!!! I'll be listening to this book - I'm just waiting for my copy of the audio book to arrive and then once it does, and I have time to listen to it, I'll be posting my review.

Because this book is sequel, and you really need to read the first book, and because I was fortunate to have been sent both books, I am going to give them away to 1 lucky reader. See giveaway details below!!!

Title: Everything We Left Behind
Author: Kerry Lonsdale
Series: Everything We Keep, #2
Published: July 2017, Lake Union Publishing
Format: Paperback, 348 pages

From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Everything We Keep comes the highly anticipated sequel. Told from one man’s two perspectives, Everything We Left Behind effortlessly blends suspense, mystery, and romance in an exploration of loss, resilience, and the compelling need to protect the ones we love at all cost.

Two months before his wedding, financial executive James Donato chased his trade-laundering brother Phil to Mexico, only to be lost at sea and presumed dead. Six and a half years later, he emerges from a dissociative fugue state to find he’s been living in Oaxaca as artist Carlos Dominguez, widower and father of two sons, with his sister-in-law Natalya Hayes, a retired professional surfer, helping to keep his life afloat. But his fiancée, Aimee Tierney, the love of his life, has moved on. She’s married and has a child of her own.

Devastated, James and his sons return to California. But Phil is scheduled for release from prison, and he’s determined to find James, who witnessed something in Mexico that could land Phil back in confinement. Under mounting family pressure, James flees with his sons to Kauai, seeking refuge with Natalya. As James begins to unravel the mystery of his fractured identity, danger is never far behind, and Natalya may be the only person he can trust.

(This book is the sequel to Everything We Keep.)

What readers are saying:

“In this suspenseful sequel to Everything We Keep…readers will be captivated as the truth unravels, hanging on every word.” –RT Book Reviews

“A stunning fusion of suspense, family drama, and redemption, Everything We Left Behind will hold the reader spellbound to the last sentence.” —A. J. Banner, #1 Kindle and USA Today bestselling author of The Twilight Wife and The Good Neighbor

“Love, loss, and secrets drive Kerry Lonsdale’s twisty follow-up to the bestselling Everything We Keep. Everything We Left Behind is an enthralling and entertaining read. You’ll be turning the pages as fast as you can to see how it ends.” —Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of The Good Widow

“While Everything We Left Behind, the long-anticipated sequel to Everything We Keep, is page-turning and suspenseful, at its center it is the story of a man struggling to discover the truth of his own identity. A man who is determined above all else to protect his family, a man who is willing to risk everything to find out the truth and to ultimately uncover the secrets of his own heart. For everyone who has read Everything We Keep (if you haven’t go do that now!), this is your novel, answering every question, tying up every thread to an oh-so-satisfying conclusion.” —Barbara Taylor Sissel, author of The Truth We Bury

“With one smart, unexpected twist after another, this page-turner is as surprising as it is emotionally insightful. Everything We Left Behind showcases Kerry Lonsdale at the top of her game.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Life and Other Near-Death Experiences

“Told through a unique perspective, Everything We Left Behind is a compelling story about one man’s journey to find himself in the wake of trauma, dark secrets, and loss. As past and present merge, he struggles to confront fear and find trust, but two constants remain: his love for his young sons and his need to protect them from danger. This novel has everything—romance, suspense, mystery, family drama. What a page-turner!” —Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of Echoes of Family

**********************************************************************************

GIVEAWAY DETAILS - (US only)
Thanks to the folks at Lake Union Publishing, I have one copy each of Everything We Keep & Everything We Left Behind to give away to one of my readers. To enter the giveaway, please fill out the rafflecopter below by July10th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US residents only and ends July 10th.

Good Luck!!!

Sunday, July 2, 2017

[Review] Last Seen Leaving - Caleb Roehrig: Sexuality and Missing Girlfriends

In LAST SEEN LEAVING, the police start investigating when Flynn's ex-girlfriend mysteriously disappears.

What intrigued me: Exclusively the hype.

Coming-Of-Age Rather Than Thriller

LAST SEEN LEAVING is a poster child for it's not you, it's me. It's undoubtedly a very skillfully written book, the prose is on point, the characterizations are great - but it's just not my thing. I found myself struggling a lot to get into this and pretty much immediately lost interest when I realized that this is a very character-driven coming-of-age story with a side of mystery instead of a fast-paced thriller.

LAST SEEN LEAVING isn't really about January or her disappearance, it's pretty much simply an incentive to get the story started and fill some pages on the side so Flynn's self discovery won't be the only thing that this book is about. I definitely welcome this, I like that Roehrig wrapped a second story into this instead of just making this a regular thriller. We do need more #ownvoices stories that aren't solely about characters discovering their sexuality. However, the coming-of-age aspect is ultimately also why I didn't care much for it. I'm not really a fan of calm contemporary books that center around characters and their self-discovery, so LAST SEEN LEAVING didn't grip me at all.

Miscommunication and Slow Burn

Besides the very subjective aspects, LAST SEEN LEAVING is a very slowly paced book, which doesn't really work in the story's favor, considering the genre. I was hoping for a page turner, but I really only got a slow burn story about a small town mystery and a small town boy who got too caught up in heteronormativity to realize that he isn't heterosexual at all.

A lot of the story relies on misunderstandings and miscommunication to preserve the mystery, which is probably my least favorite trope in the entire universe and also influenced my reading experience negatively. LAST SEEN LEAVING isn't quite as sharp and clean cut and to the point as I like my thrillers to be, which is highly, highly subjective, and therefore just wasn't my thing. Add flashbacks on top, which I also despise, and you pretty much got a perfect mixture of all the subjective things I don't like that are in no way an indicator about the quality of this book.

LAST SEEN LEAVING is definitely an important story regardless, and if you generally don't mind slow and character-driven books, you'll probably love this.

Rating:

★★★☆☆

Overall: Do I Recommend?

If you're looking for a coming-of-age thriller narrative starring a gay protagonist that discovers their sexuality while investigating a disappearance, I guess this is perfect for you! LAST SEEN LEAVING is definitely well-written and unique, but just wasn't my thing, unfortunately.

Additional Info

Published: May 22nd 2017

Pages: 416

Publisher: cbj

Genre: YA / Thriller

ISBN: 9783570173343

Synopsis:

"Flynn's girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?

Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can't answer, and her friends are telling stories that don't add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January's boyfriend, he must know something.

But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself. "
(Source: Goodreads)

What's your favorite thriller?

Connect with me!

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in Jun 30

#FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog and That’s What I’m Talking About

Despite having a summer cold this past week, it was still a pretty good week. Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything too strenuous, but I still got my walks in, albeit a bit slower than normal, but better than nothing. Luckily the cold seems to have passed and I think I can get back to my strength training - it's a bit of circuit training, so it gets my heart pumping, so trying to do it while I was all stuffed up just didn't work.

June Goals:

10K steps M-F, at least 7,500 steps on the weekend - 5/5, 1/2
30 minutes of active walking every day, M-F - 5/5 (thank goodness for having to walk the dogs everyday!)
Attend at least 1 yoga class/week - on hold for the time being.
Eat mindfully/eat enough - Yes

Here's how last week went:
Jun 24: 6,241 steps
Jun 25: 7,960 steps
Jun 26: 15,188 steps (5K+ - 4 Charity Miles for Girls on the Run)
Jun 27: 12,659 steps (5K - 3.1 Charity Miles for Girls on the Run)
Jun 28: 13,789 steps (5K - 3.1 Charity Miles for Girls on the Run)
Jun 29: 14,876 steps
Jun 30: 12,108 steps (5K - 3.1 Charity Miles for Girls on the Run)
Total Steps: 82,821 steps

Audiobooks listened to last week (since I'm not much of a music fan, I listen to books while I walk):

Started & finished Kiss Carlo by Adriana Trigiani, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini
Started Come Sundown by Nora Roberts, narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers

How did your week go? You can find this week's link-up here.

Virtual 5K /10K Tally:
   January:                               May:                         September:
   5K - 4                                  5K - 5                           5K -
   10K - 7                                10K - 6                               10K -
   February:                             June:                            October:
   5K - 4                                 5K - 10                               5K -
   10K - 9              10K - 2                             10K -
   March:                                  July:                             November:
   5K - 3                                 5K -                                 5K -
   10K - 7                               10K -                               10K -
   April:                                    August:                        December:
   5K - 9                                  5K -                                 5K -
   10K - 1                                 10K -                               10K -

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Month in Review: June 2017

Goodbye June...Hello July!!! I can't believe this year is already half over...it's flying by! I still have so many books sitting on my shelf just waiting to be read and yet more and more keep being added. I need a time machine to stop time so I can read for days at a time but not really lose any time - anybody want to get on that for me?

Well, BookExpo has come and gone and what a great time I had! I picked up some great books that I am really excited to read over the next 6 months and met some awesome authors. I posted my updates already - but I'll include them here in case you missed them:

Here are my reading stats for June!

Books read: 15

Books I read:

He Said/She Said -- Erin Kelly
The Dry -- Jane Harper (audio book)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo -- Taylor Jenkins Reid
Lie to Me -- Jess Ryder (e-book)
What My Body Remembers -- Agnete Friis
The Essex Serpent -- Sarah Perry
The Weight of Lies -- Emily Carpenter (audio book)
The Breakdown -- B.A. Paris
The Identicals -- Elin Hilderbrand
Eden -- Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg (audio book)
Every Last Lie -- Mary Kubica (e-book)
Cocoa Beach -- Beatriz Williams
Kiss Carlo -- Adriana Trigiani (audio book)
Secrets of the Dead -- Carol Wyer (e-book)
Undertow -- Elizabeth Heathcote

Favorite Books of June:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Kiss Carlo by Adriana Trigiani

2017 Reading Challenge Update:

You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge -- Books Read: 90/150
Library Reading Challenge -- Books Borrowed: 9/24
#ReadMyOwnDamnBooks Reading Challenge -- Books Read: 4/15
New Authors Reading Challenge -- New Authors Read: 38/45
E-books Reading Challenge -- E-books Read: 21/25
Audio Books Reading Challenge -- Books Listened to: 41/50

*Kathyrn over at The Book Date has created a Month in Review meme for those who put together these monthly posts. From now on, I'll be linking my post up each month...Thanks Kathryn for putting this meme together!!!