Tag archives: Stories Matter

‘In My Own Time’ We have two local celebrities dropping memoirs this month. The first is the immensely talented Christopher Lloyd, who between the covers of In My Own Time introduces us to his wealthy Connecticut childhood, growing up with mostly absent parents. Chris takes us through his years on Taxi and into the trilogy […]

‘Killer Vibes’ Jack Friday, a pseudonym for author John Fram, delivers a funny, entertaining detective novel in Killer Vibes: The First Peter Key Mystery. Set in Austin, Texas, the story follows Peter Key, the self-proclaimed laziest detective, as he stumbles into a case that becomes dangerously personal. When Peter inherits a broken-down property from an […]

‘The Witches of Cambridge’ The Witches of Cambridge from Alice Hoffman is everything you want and expect from the writer of “The Practical Magic” series. The story mixes magic and longing as two friends attending Radcliff navigate their burgeoning power in a buttoned down 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ava, a beautiful redhead who has always felt […]

‘Feast’ A feast for all the senses is the debut novel by Catherine Kurtz entitled Feast. I have never read anyone who describes food in such a visceral, gorgeous, creative way, not even from renowned food critics. Kurtz is a painter and food writer and sets her debut novel in 1880s London. Minah has an […]

Out this month is Missing in Soho by Holly Stars, a hoot of a mystery sequel to her hilarious Murder in the Dressing Room. Misty Divine is a hostess at Lady’s Bar when a detective is found stabbed in the club. This isn’t the first death that has happened here, nor the first involving Misty. […]

‘Ghalen’ The Santa Barbara Literary Festival is loaded with talented bestselling authors descending on Santa Barbara May 2-3. Many of them have new books published this month. For example, one of our keynote speakers, Walter Mosley, has his love story, Ghalen: A Romance in Black. A coming-of-age take on Ghalen, a brilliant young Black man, […]

Just back after a wonderful week as a guest of the San Miguel Writers’ Conference. Many of the best-selling authors I met have terrific books I wanted to make sure were on your radar. ‘Without Consent’ Greta Rideout’s harrowing tale is an empathetic investigation into a once-controversial subject in Sarah Weinman’s Without Consent: A Landmark […]

‘Baldwin’ For the bio lovers in your life, Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs is an epic, masterful deep dive into the genius that was James Baldwin; a complex, driven man who bravely tackled his sexuality in his writing despite warnings from the publishing world. Boggs does a terrific job of bringing the man […]

‘Future Boy’ Michael J. Fox relates his journey through the space-time continuum in Future Boy, a jaunty look back at making the iconic film Back to the Future while starring in the hit TV show Family Ties. This one isn’t just for fans of the BTTF franchise, going on 40 years, but for anyone interested […]

‘The Whistler’ “Don’t whistle at night… it attracts bad things.” You’ve been warned. Just in time for Halloween is Nick Medina’s creepy The Whistler;  a chilling tale wrapped in Indigenous myths, a ghost story with a twist. When a young ghost-hunting man on the cusp of success screeches to a halt, he must learn to […]

‘Doll Parts’ Penny Zang makes a spectacular debut with Doll Parts. Zang’s story is infused with her own personal loss and grief in this compelling psychological thriller about two college friends navigating sad girl obsessions during the 1990s. Sadie and Nikki are buddies attending an all-girls school. On campus is an eerie obsessed Sylvia Plath […]

The River is Waiting Wally Lamb is back with The River is Waiting and I am so excited for it. Full disclosure: I have not read this yet, but I can assure you if it’s half as good as any of his other heartbreaking books, this is bound to be a winner. If you read […]

Climbing in Heels is the perfect summer beach read. Super-agent/producer (she shepherded the careers of JLo and Julia Roberts to name just two) Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas debuts with a witty, sexy book about breaking through the boys’ club of ‘80s Hollywood in the fashion of former glamour queen Jackie Collins. And she does it with aplomb […]

If a crime could ever be called delightful, Abbi Waxman is its likely author. Her latest One Death at a Time will have readers laughing all the way to the final page. Julia is a former actress newly arrested for the murder of her sworn enemy who, most inconveniently, was found floating in her pool […]

‘The Jackal’s Mistress’ Two terrific new books centered around the Civil War are out. The first is Chris Bohjalian’s The Jackal’s Mistress, an unlikely love story between a wounded Yankee and a lonely Southern woman who is struggling after her husband is captured by the North. Libby can do nothing but help to save the […]

‘Queen Esther’ I am just back as a guest of the San Miguel Writers’ Conference, where I taught a workshop and gave a reading from one of my books. I was also privileged to interview the literary legend John Irving who has a new book coming out in November, which I will review. He read […]

Happy New Year. My hope for everyone in the coming months is that we embrace more stories, smart stories, entertaining and transportive stories. I’ve set my reading goals high to bring you even more recommendations. There is power, solace, and joy that comes from books and I think this month I have found something for […]

‘Thorns, Lust and Glory’ The doomed queen, Anne Boleyn, is given another look in Estelle Paranque’s Thorns, Lust and Glory: The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn. This is an excellent biography which goes into great detail on Boleyn’s early years spent at the French court, and the lasting influence that made her a worthy prize/wife for […]