Reading and Relaxing

With the onset of cooler weather, what better way to relax than to curl up with a great book and a blanket? Add a cup of tea and I’m in! Even though I read every night before bed, I long for lazy days where I can do so for hours on end. It has been too long since I have posted about reading and relaxing, so here is my latest list.

My son’s girlfriend is here for the Thanksgiving holiday and we are talking books. There are so many I love and so many that have fun stories attached. Today I want to share some of the new books I am read and ones that I would definitely read again.

Because the world is already filled with complicated nonsense, you won’t find me reading about anything political or socially divisive. My reads are ways to get lost in the chapters of a book that is pure entertainment with some knowledgeable tidbits built in.

Latest Reads

Once I find an author I like, I tend to read each and every book they have written. Elin Hilderbrand is an American writer who novels typically are set in or around Nantucket. She recently branched out with her trilogy set on the Caribbean island of St. John. If you are looking for an escape from reality, you will love these!

• Winter in Paradise~link here
• What Happens in Paradise-link here
• Troubles in Paradise-link here

Another series ( 4 books) is Elin’s Winter Street Inn series. Set in Nantucket around the holidays, this is the perfect series to read this time of year. Since we will be visiting Nantucket in June 2021, I am enjoying this immensely.

• Winter Street~link here
• Winter Stroll~link here
• Winter Storms~link here
• I’ve yet to read Winter Solstice~link here

I love a good psychological crime thriller. Caroline Mitchell is a #1 International Best selling author. Her book, Silent Victim (which I haven’t read) has been #1 seller on Amazon. This set of 3 books is based on Detective Inspector Amy Winter and her sorted past.

• Truth and Lies~ link here
• The Secret Child~link here
• Left for Dead~link here
• Not published yet Flesh and Blood

Oldies but Goodies

If you love art and history, this is a must read. I read this book before we took a Baltic Sea cruise. When we toured St. Petersburg, Russia and went to the Hermitage, this book proved to be invaluable. Truly, one of my favorites. The Madonnas of Leningrad written by Debra Dean. Click here for the link.

A recent magazine of this next book is as follows: Perhaps the ultimate quarantine read . . . A Gentleman in Moscow is about the importance of community; the distance of a kind act; and resilience. It’s a manual for getting through the days to come. Old hotel, history, what’s not to love? A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Link here.

I recently recommended this book to a friend and she is loving it. Probably the best page turner I’ve come across……ever. What makes this even more exciting is that this is the first novel this author, Karen Cleveland has written. The author is a former CIA analyst in counterterrorism and uses her knowledge in her books. Need to Know by Karen Cleveland. Link here.

Local Favorites

My sweet neighbor and friend, Barbara Hinske recently left the practice of law to pursue her career as a full-time novelist. Barbara lives in one of those gorgeous houses that inspired her Rosemont series. Not only is she a wonderful person, but she loves gardening, cooking, decorating and of course, writing.

I am currently reading the 7th book in the Rosemont series. Click here for the link. This series needs to be one on the Hallmark channel. Stunning old house, crime and mystery, friendships, love and loss, her novels have it all.

Guiding Emily is inspired when Barbara toured The Foundation for Blind Children, which is a state of the art facility here in Phoenix. Such a great story and the link is here.

Naturally this could be a much longer blog post as I love to read. My dear friend, Kristin from White Arrows Home posts her favorite books more frequently than me. To see more book recommendations from Kristin, click here.

What are you reading? Please do share! I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. With some hopefully planned down time, you will find me curled up and reading.