The World at Home by Ginny Kubitz Moyer

THE WORLD AT HOME is Ginny Kubitz Moyer's wonderful historical love story from She Writes. A description is below:

"San Francisco in 1944 is a bustling place, a revolving door of soldiers and sailors passing through on their way to the war in the Pacific. Twenty-year-old Irene Cleary, however, is not going anywhere. Although she’d love to travel, the seamstress shop she inherited from her mentor keeps her firmly rooted in the only city she’s ever known. She pours her energy into dressmaking and volunteers for the war effort by dancing with servicemen at the USO.

But Irene’s life is transformed when she designs a gown for Cynthia Burke, the socialite whose new marriage to Max, a handsome Chicago businessman, is the talk of the Nob Hill elite. As Irene is drawn into the Burkes’ glamorous, troubled orbit, and as she becomes absorbed in making costumes for the first American performance of a ballet called The Nutcracker, she finds herself on the threshold of exhilarating, perilous new worlds . . . and the most surprising discoveries of all will be the ones about herself...

San Francisco in 1944 is a bustling place, a revolving door of soldiers and sailors passing through on their way to the war in the Pacific. Twenty-year-old Irene Cleary, however, is not going anywhere. Although she’d love to travel, the seamstress shop she inherited from her mentor keeps her firmly rooted in the only city she’s ever known. She pours her energy into dressmaking and volunteers for the war effort by dancing with servicemen at the USO.

But Irene’s life is transformed when she designs a gown for Cynthia Burke, the socialite whose new marriage to Max, a handsome Chicago businessman, is the talk of the Nob Hill elite. As Irene is drawn into the Burkes’ glamorous, troubled orbit, and as she becomes absorbed in making costumes for the first American performance of a ballet called The Nutcracker, she finds herself on the threshold of exhilarating, perilous new worlds . . . and the most surprising discoveries of all will be the ones about herself..''

..an affecting tale of an orphan seeking fulfilment and love in 1944 San Francisco....Moyer expertly weaves in flashbacks to Irene’s hardscrabble time in the orphanage, her excitement at USO dances, and poignant details of what happened with Johnny....an evocative picture of life during wartime.

ginnymoyer.org—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“…An engaging home front war novel….”—KIRKUS REVIEWS

BIO:

GINNY KUBITZ MOYER is a California native with a love of local history. A graduate of Pomona College and Stanford University, she’s the author of the novel THE SEEING

GARDEN, which won Silver in the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in Historical Fiction. Fiction; the novel A GOLDEN LIFE, a Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Book of 2024. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two sons, and one rescue dog. Learn more at ginnymoyer.org.

The Bridesmaid A Novel by Cate Quinn

The Bridesmaid is the latest book from Cate Quinn.

A wedding is a joyous event. Some are simple affairs and others are circuses. And the elite? They own the whole island. Adriana is the bride and she has asked for a number of her schoolmates to be her bridesmaids. Holly Stone is one of those people, but she has her own agenda…… as do others.

Keep track of who is speaking at the top of each chapter. If you don’t, you’ll wonder who’s talking. Each of the bridesmaids as well as our bride has a voice and a chapter or two.

The plot is busy and will keep you guessing. I wonder if some of the characters were taken from reality! Quinn keeps the tension tight up to the final page. I really liked Holly and her skill set. It was really fascinating to hear what she does. Maybe we’ll see her in another book.

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow - Kelley Armstrong

 

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow is new from Kelley Armstrong.

Now, I always have a good look at the book's cover before diving in. Try it - what do you see? Does that give you a idea.....

No matter what Kelley Armstrong writes. I've enjoyed the range and style of her pen!

The Haunting of Payne's Hollow gives us everything we need for this story. A dysfunctional family, the death of the patriarchal head, the squabble over his money and his land. Bu there's more to be seen... 

I actually started the book on Halloween Eve on the porch and more than one parent asked what I was reading on Halloween's Eve. 

Here are the first three chapters to try! 

Sharp Force - Patricia Cornwell

I love this long running series from Patricia Cornwell. I was thrilled to see a new entry called Sharp Force.

It's Christmas Day but there’s no rest for chief medical examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, and her team. There is another group and they’re working just as hard to push their own agenda. I don't know how Kay says nothing! Well, she's got a great voice in her brain.

I absolutely am amazed at how the crimes are solved with a body left to tell the tale.

The fire is stoked up when three people are attacked by a ghost. Which is not probable - is it?

I like how Cornwell moves the lives of her characters forward. I’ll be interested to see how Al is used in the next few books. This one caught me off guard so much more than I thought. 

Well written, addictive and just a great read! Watch for this! SCARPETTA soon to be a streaming series starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.   

The Killer Question - Janice Hallett

The Killer Question is Janice Hallett's latest novel.

I always look at the covers and see what I might find out about the story waiting for me.

Have you ever gone to pub night and/or played quiz with your team? I have once or twice. It was actually great fun. But there are those who take things a little bit closer to their hearts - literally ....

Janice Hallett gives the reader an absolutely wonderful plot. There is no way a reader will before come up with the answer to whodunit !

Now's what I love - the book is written in clever epistolary! Through quiz categories, phone messages, email correspondence and more.

Janice Hallett is such a talented writer. I will eagerly await her next book!

The Sister's Curse - Nicola Solvinic - Blog Tour!

 

The cover of Nicola Salvinia's new novel, The Sister's Curse caught my eye. What is swirling in the water? And what about the curse? On sale today!!

The story: There’s something in the water in Bayern County…

Lieutenant Anna Koray thought she’d finally found solid ground and escaped her past as the daughter of a notorious serial killer. But when she rescues a boy from drowning—his body marked by strange symbols—she's pulled into an investigation unlike any she's ever seen. More bodies soon surface, all linked to the Kings of Warsaw Creek, the town’s wealthiest and most powerful men—and all bearing the same eerie signs.

As a string of ritualistic drownings rocks her small town, Lieutenant Anna Koray must unravel a case tangled in myth, murder, and long-buried vengeance—all while haunted by her own legacy as the daughter of a convicted serial killer.  Dark forces may be at work in Bayern County, and Anna must separate legend from truth before she becomes the next to vanish.

From the author of The Hunter’s Daughter—an acclaimed debut named “the best thriller” on the TODAY show and a Best of the Year pick by Amazon—comes a chilling supernatural mystery steeped in Slavic folklore. THE SISTER’S CURSE is an atmospheric blend of psychological suspense and slow-burn horror, perfect for fans of The Marsh King’s Daughter, Simone St. James, and A Flicker in the Dark.

Nicola Solvinic holds a master’s degree in criminology and has worked in and around the criminal justice system for over a decade. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and cats, surrounded by a secret garden full of beehives."

On my teetering list to read... 

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective - Jo Nichols

I started The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective after dinner one night. And stayed up way too late - I just couldn't put it down!

We meet the folks who live in the six cottages, including Mrs. B. She owns the cottages and has a relationship with each person.  Except for the dead body found on the grounds of the cottage. And what about that latest resident....

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective has the feel of a cozy mystery. And it is. We (the reader) are aware of their personalities, lives, thoughts, hopes, fears and more. Can you solve the case?

I love the epistolary bits used by Nichols. The group meets online. And the comments are quite funny. Quirky is the word for this book and characters. I quite enjoyed it all! Thanks so much Jo Nichols.