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Hello world!

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Let’s talk about books. What type of book do you like to read? Do you stick to the same authors or are you willing to take a chance on something radically different from your norm? I have a cluster of authors that I gobble up the new books they put out like a binge eater…all in one sitting. And in between waiting for said authors to put out the next book, I have a group of “fill in” authors. And then there are the ones I read because I am so very curious about everything. It has been pointed out to me that my reading list is probably linked to Homeland Security but how can you have an opinion on anything if you haven’t fully researched it?

On my bookshelf you will find every James Patterson novel, every Laurell K. Hamilton, every Stuart Woods, Harlan Coben, Catherine Coulter, Iris Johansen, Anne Rice, Laura Childs, Tom Clancy, George R.R.Martin, Kim Harrison, Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, Lisa Scottoline, Lisa Unger, Karin Slaughter, Don Winslow, Sara Blaedel along with all the classics. I don’t do romance books, no heaving bosoms or glistening abs for me.

Reading is a magical thing that can take you places you would never have access to in the living world. I love everything about books. The cover, the feel, and smell of the paper, it all has to come together for me.  Books are like a good friend who stays around.

So here we are going to be talking about books. What we’ve read, what we are reading and what we hope to read. I find it so interesting that two people can read the same book and have totally different takes on it. But that is the fun of books and imagination. Everyone is different and I am intrigued by those different opinions.

Stick around for some really good, new authors I have found and feel free to make suggestions and comments!  Join us on Facebook for free books, authors looking for reviewers and new releases and giveaways! On Twitter, @GaPirate  Email me at piratepatty@hotmail.com. Have your Marketing people or Publisher contact me for reviews.

A HIGHLANDER IS COMING TO TOWN by Laura Trentham

A Highlander is Coming to Town (Highland, Georgia #3)

A Highland,Georgia Novel #3

This romantic comedy series is set in Highland,Georgia. Claire Smythe has found herself here after leaving her touring band. She is looking to blend in and not stand out one bit. She has secrets and she does not want them spilling out.

Without money she takes a job as a live-in companion and care taker for an elderly woman. Neither one talks much, but a bond has been formed.

Holt Pierson has been left to care for the family farm while his parents hit the road for Florida for Christmas. He is one hard working and driven man! And Claire, or whatever her name is, has captured his mind and heart.

But will this Christmas be Merry and Bright? Let’s just say a lot of secrets come tumbling from Santa’s bag this year and love may just overcome a lot of them.

Always a treat to read this series. A lovely story of family expectations, our own dreams and desires, and finding a way to live with both.

NetGalley/ September 29th 2020 by St. Martin’s Press




Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker

Don't Look for Me

People walk away from their lives every day. Especially when the pain at home is unbearable. But is that what happened to Molly Clarke?

When her car is found abandoned on the side of a road, out of gas, during a storm, the police and her family search everywhere for her. False leads and suspicious people make the search difficult.

A note is found at the only hotel telling her family not to look for her. But her daughter is not buying it. She is determined to find her mother. Believing there is no way she would abandon them.

Everyone in this little town is sketchy. I didn’t believe any of them. The suspense in this thriller built layer by layer until I was reading at warp speed!

This was a heartbreaking story of loss, guilt, insanity and what women will do to survive.

The question is what did happen to Molly Clarke? And will her daughter live to find out?

One very well done book!

NetGalley/ September 15th, 2020 by St. Martin’s Press

Oklahoma is lying to the country and the people! 5 Days in OU Med.

Before I get into our journey through the hospital, let me tell you how yummy this steep tea is! And it tastes even better in my Georgia Dawgs cup!

It’s actually good for blood pressure, which brings us to our story today.

For months now OU Boy has been throwing up every morning like clockwork. No baby, no nothing. And every time he sat down he fell asleep immediately. Sunday night was a bad night. His arm was hurting, he couldn’t catch a breath and we knew from a lot of past experience that he was having a heart attack.

So his Cardiologist said go straight to the Emergency Department. And here begins the lies we have been told.

A housekeeper came to the car to get him in a wheelchair. No badge. No PPE. We then were put in the heart section of the ED. Not one time did I see anyone wearing a PPE gown. Masks, yes, all the nurses and doctors.

We heard over the loudspeaker constantly calling Code Blue to whatever room and that was soon followed by Terminal Cleaning needed in whatever room.  We literally had to wait for someone to die to get into ICU. You can’t leave once you are there, so I had a lot of time to worry and watch and listen to the nurses and residents.

The news came on and the reporter said Oklahoma had 538 active cases. The nurse snorted and said, “Like we don’t have that many here alone.” I asked if everyone that came through was tested first. “NO. We are going broke and can’t afford to test everyone. We were tested right away and had results in an hour maybe.

Our nurses had only worked here for two weeks and were unfamiliar with our codes and setup. But they were amazing. For instance, there are NO urinals in the entire ED. Our nurse stole one she found in the OR. There are empty glove boxes in the rooms. There are no chairs, so I slept on the floor. The only PPE gown I saw was stashed under some towels in the cupboard still sealed.

Every single room, including the broom closet, is full of sick people. As I waited outside of OR, it was shift change. That is when I hear all of the nurses talking about going elsewhere. Talking about how their interviews went at other facilities. We never saw housekeeping except for the lady with no name tag that brought us in. Also, no pillows. Or blankets.

I waited for 6 hours for someone to call me or come out and let me know if he was even alive, because there were times in the night that he was not for a few seconds. No one came. Just me and the little man mopping. Because only one person per patient is allowed in and everyone had left for the day. Finally I saw a nurse and asked her to help me. She did and I will be forever grateful.  He had 4 100 percent blockages which they cleaned out the stents and even put in an extra. 

We came home late Thursday. It was the worst cluster f*** you have ever seen. But now I know I’ve been lied to. And I’m pissed about that. Shame on you Governor Shitt and shame on you little man trump. If you get nothing out of this but the fact that we had to wait for someone to DIE to get a bed while my husband was flat lining in the ED. This isn’t a hoax, hospitals are overflowing with sick people and no equipment. 

Thankfully OU Boy feels like he can run a marathon. He can not of course as they went in through his groin. But at least he is alive and we know we don’t have the plague. So that was our week. How was yours?

Stay Safe

xx P

ONE BY ONE by RUTH WARE

One by One by [Ruth Ware]

Everyone is this book has secrets. Except maybe Danny. But the rest of them are pretty despicable people, not counting Erin, who takes care of the chalet and the guests with Danny as the chef.

Work retreats are nothing new for them. They host many at a luxurious ski chalet in the French Alps. Most are great and things run smoothly.

Not so when a start-up called Snoop and it’s co-founders come to stay. Right from the start, they are obnoxious and sketchy.  And as the days go by they began to dwindle in numbers. After an avalanche leaves them cut off from the rest of the world, they are all aware they are sharing quarters with a killer. But which one is it?

I could have told you who in Chapter one. The only person’s story I was interested in was Erin’s.

Not my cup of tea.

NetGalley/Gallery Scout Press September 8th, 2020

 

 

The Darkest Evening by ANN CLEEVES

The Darkest Evening (Vera Stanhope, #9)

I love the Vera series! And this time we meet more of her family.

As DI Vera Stanhope is on her way home the first big snow of the winter is blowing so hard she can barely find her turnoff point. The one thing she can see is a car with the driver’s door open slid off the road.

Vera checks it out and finds of all things a baby in the backseat. Assuming the driver has gone for help she leaves her business card and a note. Taking the baby to the closest house. Her relatives.Harriett and Julia Stanhope.

Brockburn is the family home and though it is pretty much crumbling around them, Julia’s husband Mark, has a plan to save it by turning it into a place for theater types and artists. Which seems a bit odd in Northumberland.

When she pulls up to the house it is clear some type of party is going on. Lights are blazing and everyone is drinking and none of them have any idea a murder has occurred on the property.

The blizzard is in full swing and everyone is staying put. Is their a killer under their roof? This is the house Vera’s father grew up in but Vera and her father were not close with them. Now she may find out more than she imagined in the secrets they were all keeping!

This is one of my favorite series and characters! Always a good mystery with the unconventional Vera!

NetGalley/ September 8th, 2020 by Minotaur Books



TAKEN TOO SOON by EDITH MAXWELL

Taken Too Soon

Quaker Midwife Mystery #6

Rose Carroll and her brand new husband, David, haven’t even finished their wedding reception when word is received from her elderly aunts that their ward has died and she must come immediately.

The young girl’s murder has rattled her aunts and the entire New England town. And as Rose works with the detectives to find the killer, David must deal with his rakish brother and his manipulative mother.

Family secrets, long-held grudges, and misunderstandings abound and Rose is ready to find a killer and get back to her beloved.

This is one of my favorite series! Rose is such an interesting character and I can’t wait to see what Ms. Maxwell will have in store for Rose and David!

NetGalley/ September 8th, 2020 by Beyond the Page

 

 

 

THE CROHN’S DISEASE COOKBOOK by Amanda Foote,RD

Never have I been happier than the day this book arrived! Finally someone who understands Crohn’s Disease!

Whether you have just been diagnosed or like me, have been doing the best you can to avoid flares and figure out how to eat to keep yourself healthy and alive!

There are customized meal plans as well as food to eat during and after a flare up. And there is a lot of information on CD and other issues that may come with it. I have CD along with Celiac and Lactose Intolerance. All the women on my mother’s side have this. No one talked about it. We jokingly called it our secret diet since you eat and then you spend hours crying in the bathroom feeling as if you are giving birth to a large demon.

This cookbook has opened up a lot of options for me. I don’t do soy either and I was happy to see I could substitute with almond milk. The Bone Broth recipe was my favorite. That may seem odd but during and after a flare this is one of the only things I can eat. I can tolerate some meats but I don’t like meat so roasted chicken and salmon are the only ones I eat and then only after a flare.

And it’s hard to know what will kick off a flare. For example yesterday I was feeling too lazy to get out of the pool so I just grabbed two small pieces of OU Boy’s beef jerky. It was peppered. It took all of 5 minutes before I was running to the bathroom and I have been in pain since then. That is a flare.

Love the book and grateful to the author!

Hello September! Please Be Better Than August…

Can you believe it is September? Where did summer go? This has been the worst year ever. I’m about to ask my Momma if that offer to slap me into next year is still on the table!

Everyone is adjusting to a new normal. Only normal is now a word I have forgotten the definition of. Oklahoma keeps plowing ahead with life as if nothing has happened. As if Rome wasn’t burning and the man playing the fiddle can’t even walk a straight line.

I find it easier to stay home. I get a lot of work done and there are no idiots here. Most days.

I am gradually phasing out of NetGalley. I only have 7 books left and they aren’t due until next April. I am still taking requests from publishers once a month, but I signed a contract with Amazon so that is what I have been doing.

The good news is I love technical writing. I can make your ugly sweater sound trendy and fresh. The not so good news is I’m receiving 6 to 12 packages a day. Oh it’s exciting at first, but then it’s just asking Where are we going to put all of this stuff? But they are great to work for and I still don’t have to leave the house. I do about 5 photo shoots a day and I try to finish up by 3 p.m.

We had 12 straight hours of heavy rain and lightening yesterday. Flooding streets and cars washed away. More expected today and the pool is already overflowing!

I hope everyone is well, healthy and getting the support they need.

xx P

The Forgotten Kingdom (The Lost Queen Trilogy #2) by Signe Pike

The Forgotten Kingdom (The Lost Queen Trilogy, #2)

Second, in the series it is now AD 573 and Languoreth is in lockdown while her husband and his brother go off to raid and murder her brother, lover and even her child.

But what of the child she let her brother take with him to teach her the ways of a Wisdom Keeper. Angharad is just a child when she loses everything but her own life. Lost and unsure what to do, she follows the whispers in her head.

Not knowing whether her brother Lailoken is dead or alive and if her daughter is also dead, Languoreth waits and plans.

There was so much going on in this book. I had not read the first one but picked up what had gone on quickly. I was in love with this little girl with the huge heart and deadly powers.

The research and the history of this place and these people were very impressive and I enjoyed this book a lot!

NetGalley/ September 15th 2020 by Atria Books

The Brothers of AUSCHWITZ by MALKA ADLER

My brother’s tears left a delicate, clean line on his face. I stroked his cheek, whispered, it’s really you …

Brothers Dov and Yitzhak are pretty isolated in their tiny village in Hungary, the war seems far away.

Oh how things can change in a day. The Nazis give them one hour before they are taken by train to Auschwitz. The horrors they encounter were vivid and very hard to read with tears running down your face.

This is their story, this time told from the safety of their own home six decades later. It is a biographical account based on interviews of a family torn apart by the Holocaust and the heroic journey back to each other.

There were times I needed to stop a moment with this book. The emotions were running high. It is a beautiful and horrifying look at what family is and what people will do to survive.

NetGalley/ Harper Collins September 01, 2020