Open Book with Lynda Cohen Loigman

Lynda Cohen Loigman is one of my favorite authors and people and we have never met 🙂 She was so kind to send me something when my son was born and we only know each other in the book world- the beauty of the internet!  Her latest, The Wartime Sisters, out now, is a deep and touching story of two sisters who are living very different lives on the same Armory during World War two.  Loigman’s way with words creates a tale that will leave you with a book hangover, guaranteed.  I am thrilled she is my next “Open Book”, read below ❤

via Amazon ~

For fans of Lilac Girls, the next powerful novel from the author of Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist The Two-Family House about two sisters working in a WWII armory, each with a deep secret.

“Loigman’s strong voice and artful prose earn her a place in the company of Alice Hoffman and Anita Diamant, whose readers should flock to this wondrous new book.” ―Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale

“The Wartime Sisters shows the strength of women on the home front: to endure, to fight, and to help each other survive.” ―Jenna Blum, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Lost Family and Those Who Save Us

Two estranged sisters, raised in Brooklyn and each burdened with her own shocking secret, are reunited at the Springfield Armory in the early days of WWII. While one sister lives in relative ease on the bucolic Armory campus as an officer’s wife, the other arrives as a war widow and takes a position in the Armory factories as a “soldier of production.” Resentment festers between the two, and secrets are shattered when a mysterious figure from the past reemerges in their lives.

“One of my favorite books of the year.” ―Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Dollhouse and The Masterpiece

“A stirring tale of loyalty, betrayal, and the consequences of long-buried secrets.” ―Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of The Edge of Lost and Sold on a Monday

What three celebrities/authors/figures- living or dead, would you want to have a book club with?

Edith Wharton – She is my literary idol. I would probably be star struck and mute around her.

Stephen Sondheim – I would love to talk to him about his creative process and the way he uses songs to tell stories.

Mindy Kaling – She seems like she would be the most fun person to be around.

 

Current binge series?

I am feeling a little lost right now because I finished the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and I don’t know what to watch. It was perfect, and nothing else compares to it. My husband and I just started the Amazon Prime Jack Ryan series, so I’m consoling myself with that, but it’s not the same.

 

Last favorite book?

I loved Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I don’t usually read a lot of fantasy, but I do love fairy tales. This one is a reimagining of the Rumpelstiltskin story, but the main character is a young Jewish woman who takes over her father’s money-lending business. She is so good at it that she is able to turn his debts into gold. I won’t say more, but it’s incredibly clever.

 

What 3 things to you pack in your bag for your dream vacation?  Where is it?

I desperately want to go to southern Italy. I would have to pack a big straw hat, comfortable sandals, and lots of sunscreen!

 

Sunday NYT or US Weekly?

I like to read the books and arts sections of the NYT.

 

Last person you sent a text message to?

We have a family group chat with my husband and my kids. I sent them a photo of our puppy, Winston.

 

Book you read that you wished you wrote?

I just reread Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth. I can’t even imagine being able to write like that.

 

Do you have a teacher who encouraged you to become a writer?

I had a wonderful teacher for my writing class at the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute. His name is Steve Schnur, and he was so encouraging.

 

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, who?

I can’t listen to music while I write, but I listen to music while I’m thinking about writing. It’s a great time for me to puzzle out plot points, come up with backstory, and ruminate about my characters. While I was writing The Wartime Sisters, I listened to the Sirius radio 1940’s station for a full year. I drove around in my car and listened to those songs. A lot of the music made its way into the book as songs Arietta performs.

 

Describe your writing space?

I write at my kitchen table, usually with a big cup of coffee nearby. Sometimes I go to my library or a local coffee shop too. Actually, right now I’m in the process of turning the room over my garage into an office. I just ordered a desk – it’s my first, and I’m super excited about it because it’s blue!

 

Coffee or tea?

Coffee. I drink tea too, but I would be lost without coffee.

 

Do you have a favorite book that you gift?

This is such an interesting question. I don’t. I tend to pick books specifically for each individual. But that’s a good idea!

 

Book that you wished they would make a movie out of?

I loved the Half-Magic books by Edward Eager when I was young, and I always wished for a movie of them.

 

If you could have one song as the theme song of your life what would it be and why?

 Putting It Together from the musical Sunday in the Park with George. It’s about the creative process, and whenever I listen to it, I feel inspired.

 

What/Who inspires you?

 My children. They are 19 and 16, and I wish I could have their energy and their confidence.

 

Bravo reality TV- yes or no?

Nope. I can’t watch it. It all makes me cringe. The only reality television I watch is The Great British Baking Show.

 

Favorite Instagram account?

I love @pawaddicted. I could watch puppy videos all day long.

 

If you could name just one lipstick after a book, what would you call it and what shade would it be? 

Lauren Willig’s The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. It would be pink, of course!

 

Current #TBR pile?

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Summer Country by Lauren Willig

In Another Time by Jillian Cantor

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

 

Best advice you’ve ever received?

It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

 

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Summer of Gallery Books!

 

Over the past year I have been sent some amazing titles from Gallery books.  From fantastic fiction to juicy memoirs they never seem to disappoint.  To show my love for them I have decided to post some fabulous titles that are coming up!  It’s basically the summer of Gallery books!  All the perfect reads to throw in your beach bag or pool tote.  I assure you, you will NOT be disappointed 🙂

Coming June 7, 2016

A Dangerous Age by Kelly Killeen Benisom

via Goodreads:

“Couture royalty meets downtown grit and heady artists mingle with freewheeling socialites in A Dangerous Age, a sophisticated, indulgent, and delicious novel of contemporary New York City that women of all ages will devour.

It’s the dog days of a sweltering Manhattan summer, and four sophisticated best friends who once took New York by storm are secretly falling apart at the seams. Lucy’s marriage to a renowned artist is slowly crumbling, with an explosive secret that threatens them both. Sarah, in the middle of auditioning for an auspicious new television show, realizes that her socialite standing is in jeopardy after countless disastrous events. Billy—a queen in the kitchen—has finally left her former life behind to become a highbrow cuisine artist. And Lotta, a knockout downtown art dealer, spends her free time guzzling cocktails in both the grittiest and most expensive clubs around town—but now, she’s taken it a little too far.

In this addicting and refreshing comedy of manners reminiscent of Edith Wharton, Lucy, Sarah, Billy, and Lotta go to all ends to hide their troubles in a city that worships only the young, twentysomething it-girl. But in the end, there’s no denying that these women have all entered a very dangerous age…and who knows how they’ll emerge on the other side.”

 

 

Coming May 17, 2016

It’s Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak into Happily Never After by Andi Dorfman

via Goodreads:

“Andi Dorfman, the beloved finalist of season eighteen of The Bachelor who infamously rejected Juan Pablo and went on to star on season ten of The Bachelorette, dishes about what it’s like to live out a love story—and its collapse—in front of the cameras, offering hard-won advice for moving on after a break-up, public or not.

Andi Dorfman, star of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, talks candidly about what it’s like to be courted by twenty-five handsome, single men in this juicy, insider’s peek at dating—and breaking up—on national TV. She shares entertaining and heartfelt stories about her fellow Bachelor alums—many of whom are still close friends—comes clean about calling out Bachelor #18 Juan Pablo for bad behavior, and reflects on her personal challenges and uplifting experiences in love that she hopes will help you get through your own break-ups with grace and style!”

 

Just release in paperback!  Featured in People and O Magazine

After Perfect by Christina McDowell

 

 

CHRISTINA MCDOWELL

via Goodreads:

“In the tradition of New York Times bestsellers What Remains by Carole Radziwill and Oh the Glory of It All by Sean Wilsey, Christina McDowell’s unflinching memoir is a brutally honest, cautionary tale about one family’s destruction in the wake of the Wall Street implosion.

Christina McDowell was born Christina Prousalis. She had to change her name to be legally extricated from the trail of chaos her father, Tom Prousalis, left in the wake of his arrest and subsequent imprisonment as one of the guilty players sucked into the collateral fallout of Jordan Belfort (the Wolf of Wall Street). Christina worshipped her father and the seemingly perfect life they lived…a life she finds out was built on lies. Christina’s family, as is typically the case, had no idea what was going on. Nineteen-year-old Christina drove her father to jail while her mother dissolved in denial.

Since then, Christina’s life has been decimated. As her family floundered in rehab, depression, homelessness, and loss, Christina succumbed to the grip of alcohol, drugs, and promiscuity before finding catharsis in the most unlikely of places. From the bucolic affluence of suburban Washington, DC, to the A-list clubs and seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, this provocative memoir unflinchingly describes the harsh realities of a fall from grace. Full of nineties nostalgia and access to the inner circles of the Washingtonian societal elite, Christina McDowell’s beautiful memoir is a Blue Jasmine story from a daughter’s perspective.”

 

Out NOW in hardcover!

Good Mourning by Elizabeth Meyer

via Goodreads:

“In this funny, insightful memoir, a young socialite risks social suicide when she takes a job at a legendary funeral chapel on New York Citys Upper East Side.Good Mourning offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most famous funeral homes in the country where not even big money can protect you from the universal experience of grieving. 
It’s Gossip Girl meets Six Feet Under, told from the unique perspective of a fashionista turned funeral planner.

Elizabeth Meyer stumbled upon a career in the midst of planning her own father’s funeral, which she turned into an upbeat party with Rolling Stones music, thousands of dollars worth of her mother’s favorite flowers, and a personalized eulogy. Starting out as a receptionist, Meyer quickly found she had a knack for helping people cope with their grief, as well as creating fitting send-offs for some of the city’s most high-powered residents.
Meyer has seen it all: two women who found out their deceased husband (yes, singular) was living a double life, a famous corpse with a missing brain, and funerals that cost more than most weddings. By turns illuminating, emotional, and darkly humorous, Good Mourning is a lesson in how the human heart grieves and grows, whether you’re wearing this season’s couture or drug-store flip-flops.”

 

Out NOW in hardcover and paperback release July 5, 2016 ~ New York Times Bestseller

Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again by Teresa Giudice

via Goodreads:

“The star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey and three-time New York Times bestselling author offers a behind-the-scenes look at life in prison, her marriage, her rise to fame, the importance of her family, and the reality TV franchise that made her a household name in her explosive and ultimately uplifting first-ever memoir.

“People think they know everything about me…but they don’t. Not even close.” 

Teresa Giudice, star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, has seen it all, but nothing—not even Real Housewives scandals—could compare to the media firestorm that ensued after she was convicted on federal fraud charges.

The infamous, fun-loving Jersey mom of four was sentenced to fifteen months in the same prison where Piper Kerman—the real-life inspiration behind Orange Is the New Black—did her time. Her tiny prison cubicle in Connecticut felt so far removed from the glamorous world portrayed on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. What was a skinny Italian to do? Keep a diary, of course…

In her very first tell-all memoir, Teresa comes clean on all things Giudice: growing up as an Italian-American, meeting the love of her life and starting a family, dealing with chaos and catfights on national television, and eventually, coming to terms with the reality of life in prison. Featuring never-before-seen scans of her prison diary, Turning the Tables captures some of the most memorable moments of her prison stay, including the cringe-inducing fights she witnessed, the awkward conundrum of being trapped when a fellow inmate had a…guest…over, and the strength she found while confined between four concrete walls.

Even at her lowest of lows, Teresa was able to live la bella vita by staying positive and realizing her purpose. Friends, foes, and fans have speculated about Teresa’s prison experience, but nothing will prepare you for the revelations she makes in this entertaining and heartwarming memoir.

“The world will see a new Teresa. A different Teresa. Well, actually, the Teresa I always was.””

 

Coming August 16, 2016

The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

via Goodreads:

“From award-winning comedian, writer, producer, and actress Amy Schumer comes The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, a thoughtful, honest, and hysterical collection of (very) personal essays.

Never one to shy away from the uproarious, challenging, and remarkable moments that make up life, this exceptionally candid book will have readers wincing with recognition, nodding their head in solidarity, and laughing out loud.

Written with Amy’s signature candor, she reflects on her often raucous childhood antics, her hard won and incomparable rise to comedic stardom, and the courage it takes to approach the world with astounding honesty every single day.

Surely the most anticipated collection of the year, Amy shines bright as a friend, daughter, and sister, unforgettable comedian, and most notably, a masterful (and always entertaining) storyteller.”

Coming June 28, 2016

American Babe: A White Girl Problems Book by Babe Walker

via Goodreads:

“Author of the New York Times bestseller White Girl Problems and Psychos, Babe Walker, faces her most daunting challenge yet—suburbia—in the third caustically witty White Girl Problems book.

Babe Walker thought she had done it all. After all, she’s survived the highly exclusive social hierarchies of Bel Air, traipsed around Europe in true white-girl fashion, and left her mark on several of the best rehab facilities in the United States. But now Babe is about to enter a terrifying new world: Middle America.

After a freak accident that was definitely not Babe’s fault, her estranged mother offers her the perfect escape from LA: an invite to her grandfather’s eightieth birthday party in Maryland, of all places. Babe’s journey throws her headlong into elementary school classrooms full of small, unfashionable people and pizza buffet restaurants that will haunt her nightmares and eventually back to Los Angeles, thank goodness. Tossed together with her cousins—basic preteen Cara and mature and preternaturally stylish Knox—Babe learns that connecting with someone on an intimate, familial level might be the most rewarding experience there is…

Besides being thin, of course.

Hysterical, unapologetic, and as unfiltered as ever, Babe Walker proves again to be the “urban socialite you love to hate” (Time), and she can only hope the population is ready for American Babe.”

 

Be on the lookout this summer for full reviews from Bliss, Beauty and Books!  To visit Gallery and see all their upcoming titles please visit: Facebook , Twitter and their Instagram.

*Thanks to Gallery Books for sending review copies to Bliss, Beauty and Books.

 

 

 

2016 Historical Fiction GIVEAWAY!

While I am working on my next review, for an amazing book that I can’t wait to share, I thought I would share my first giveaway for the year!  If you are a lover of historical fiction then you will love this giveaway.  I am giving away three titles that are the perfect compliment to a winter’s day.  All you have to do is head over to my Instagram and Facebook and “Like” either page OR leave a comment below.  I will select the winner at random.  This giveaway is only available for residents of the U.S.  Good luck and happy reading. (See below for Goodreads synopses)

 

The Violinist of Venice by Alyssa Palumbo ~ via Goodreads

A sweeping historical novel of composer and priest Antonio Vivaldi, a secret wealthy mistress, and their passion for music and each other

Like most 18th century Venetians, Adriana d’Amato adores music-except her strict merchant father has forbidden her to cultivate her gift for the violin. But she refuses to let that stop her from living her dreams and begins sneaking out of her family’s palazzo under the cover of night to take violin lessons from virtuoso violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi. However, what begins as secret lessons swiftly evolves into a passionate, consuming love affair.

Adriana’s father is intent on seeing her married to a wealthy, prominent member of Venice’s patrician class-and a handsome, charming suitor, whom she knows she could love, only complicates matters-but Vivaldi is a priest, making their relationship forbidden in the eyes of the Church and of society. They both know their affair will end upon Adriana’s marriage, but she cannot anticipate the events that will force Vivaldi to choose between her and his music. The repercussions of his choice-and of Adriana’s own choices-will haunt both of their lives in ways they never imagined.

Spanning more than 30 years of Adriana’s life, Alyssa Palombo’s The Violinist of Venice is a story of passion, music, ambition, and finding the strength to both fall in love and to carry on when it ends.

 

Medicis Daughter by Sophie Peridot ~via Goodreads

Winter, 1564. Beautiful young Princess Margot is summoned to the court of France, where nothing is what it seems and a wrong word can lead to ruin. Known across Europe as Madame la Serpente, Margot’s intimidating mother, Queen Catherine de Médicis, is a powerful force in a country devastated by religious war. Among the crafty nobility of the royal court, Margot learns the intriguing and unspoken rules she must live by to please her poisonous family.

Eager to be an obedient daughter, Margot accepts her role as a marriage pawn, even as she is charmed by the powerful, charismatic Duc de Guise. Though Margot’s heart belongs to Guise, her hand will be offered to Henri of Navarre, a Huguenot leader and a notorious heretic looking to seal a tenuous truce. But the promised peace is a mirage: her mother’s schemes are endless, and her brothers plot vengeance in the streets of Paris. When Margot’s wedding devolves into the bloodshed of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, she will be forced to choose between her family and her soul.

Médicis Daughter is historical fiction at its finest, weaving a unique coming-of-age story and a forbidden love with one of the most dramatic and violent events in French history.

 

A Taste for Nightshade by Martine Bailey ~via Goodreads

Manchester 1787. When budding young criminal Mary Jebb swindles Michael Croxon’s brother with a blank pound note, he chases her into the night and sets in motion a train of sinister events. Condemned to seven years of transportation to Australia, Mary sends him a ‘Penny Heart’-a token of her vow of revenge.
Two years later, Michael marries naïve young Grace Moore. Although initially overjoyed at the union, Grace quickly realizes that her husband is more interested in her fortune than her company. Lonely and desperate for companionship, she turns to her new cook to help mend her ailing marriage. But Mary Jebb, shipwrecked, maltreated, and recently hired, has different plans for the unsuspecting owners of Delafosse Hall.
A Taste for Nightshade is a thrilling historical novel that combines recipes, mystery and a dark struggle between two desperate women, sure to appeal to fans of Sarah Waters and Carolly Erickson.

 

*Thanks to St.Martin’s Press and Thomas Dunne Books for providing copies for this giveaway.