Happy New Year BB&B readers! I hope the holidays were fabulous and you received lots of books and beauty baubles. I am beyond thrilled to kick 2018 with one of the hottest books and author duos- Liv Constantine authors of The Last Mrs’ Parrish. Not only was their book getting high praise before it’s book birthday but it was chosen by Reese Witherspoon as her December Book Club pick! Yes. That Reese Witherspoon. Liv is made up of two sisters- Val and Lynne. I can tell you I started this book the 1st of the year and it is completely unputdownable. I am so happy to be able to take a glimpse into a few of their favorite things with our fist “Open Book” of the year!
via Amazon ~
THE DECEMBER PICK FOR REESE WITHERSPOON’S HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB
“Filled with envy, deception, and power, it’s a great reading escape. And there is a thrilling twist at the end!!” —Reese Witherspoon
“Will keep you up. In a ‘can’t put it down’ way. It’s ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ with XX chromosomes.”—The Skimm
“Deliciously duplicitous. . . . equally as twisty, spellbinding, and addictive as Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl or Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train.”—Library Journal (starred review)
Some women get everything. Some women get everything they deserve.
Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted.
To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.
Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn’t have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.
With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent.
What three celebrities/authors/figures- living or dead, would you want to have a book club with?
Lynne ~ Socrates, Ellen DeGeneres, and Princess Diana. That would be a fascinating and fun discussion.
Val ~ Eleanor Roosevelt, Edna Ferber and Jane Austen.
Current binge series?
Lynne ~ Scandal – late to the game but loving it
Val ~ The Crown on Netflix
Last favorite book?
Lynne ~ What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty
Val ~ Nutshell by Ian McEwan
What 3 things to you pack in your bag for your dream vacation? Where is it?
Lynne ~ E-reader full of books, bathing suit, and iPhone loaded with music for a three-month cruise of the Mediterranean
Val ~ Bathing suit, sunscreen, and good book. Any beach.
Sunday NYT or US Weekly
Lynne ~ Sunday NYT
Val ~ Sunday NYT
Last person you sent a text message to?
Lynne ~ My sister
Val ~ My son in the US while I am visiting in the UK
Book you read that you wished you wrote?
Lynne ~ Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Val ~ Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Do you have a teacher who encouraged you to become a writer?
Lynne ~ No, but I had a terrific writing teacher and mentor who helped me to hone my craft and become a better writer.
Val ~ I didn’t. But I had a few who taught me to be a better writer.
Do you listen to music while you write? If so, who?
Lynne ~ Yes, Mozart
Val ~ Sometimes. When I do, it’s classical – mostly the big three – Bach, Beethoven and Mozart and lots of Rachmaninoff too.
Describe your writing space?
Lynne ~ Over the years, I’ve learned to write wherever I am, I simply put in my earphones, and pull out my laptop. When I’m home, I work in my office which is painted a bright blue and white with bookshelves surrounding my desk.
Val ~ A desk and chair that sits in front of floor to ceiling glass and overlooks a pond and small creek. Directly in front of me is a small garden that has become a gathering place for birds. It’s idyllic.
Coffee or tea?
Lynne ~ Coffee first thing in the morning, then tea throughout the day.
Val ~ Both
Do you have a favorite book that you gift?
Lynne ~The Element by Ken Robinson. It’s about finding your true passion in life. I’m so lucky to have found mine and feel so strongly that a major key to happiness is finding work that you love.
Val ~ This year I gave copies of The Paper Bag Princess to both of my young granddaughters and to two of my nieces. Otherwise, I don’t really have a favorite book to gift. I try to match the book to the person.
Book that you wished they would make a movie out of?
Lynne ~ The Art of Racing in Rain
Val ~ Americana by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
If you could have one song as the theme song of your life what would it be and why?
Lynne ~ Break My Stride, by Matthew Wilder because I try to live my life going after my passion, and I try not to let anything get in my way. I also have crazy dreams! And, it’s a great song to work out to.
Val ~ Climb Every Mountain by Jordan Smith
What/Who inspires you?
Lynne ~ Stories about individuals who persevere against all odds to achieve their dreams.
Val ~ My husband, Colin, inspires me. He is committed, disciplined, curious and a lifelong learner.
Bravo reality TV- yes or no?
Lynne ~ No – well sometimes when I’m on the elliptical at the gym
Val ~ A big NO
Favorite Instagram account?
Lynne ~ Golden-Retriever-Lover
Val ~ My daughter in law’s – with photos of my granddaughter
If you could name just one lipstick after a book, what would you call it and what shade would it be?
Lynne ~ A Color You Can’t Refuse – inspired by The Godfather, blood red
Val ~ Smoldering Red Passion after Portrait Of A Lady, by Henry James. It would be deep purple/red.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
Lynne ~ Happiness is a choice – my wise mother
Val ~ Two things: 1) Forgive yourself and don’t look back. It is not the direction you’re going in. 2) Be kind to everyone you meet, because you never know the battles people are fighting.
Current TBR List:
Lynne ~
Magpie Murders, Anthony Horowitz
The Blackbird Season, Kate Moretti
The Ex, Alafair Burke
Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay
The Child Finder, Rene Denfield
The Second Sister, Claire Kendal
House of Spies, Daniel Silva
The Emotional Craft of Fiction, Donald Maass
Val ~
Look Homeward Angel by Thomas Wolfe
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Sleep No More by P.D.James
Self Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff
Rosalind: A Biography of Shakespeare’s Immortal Heroine by Angela Thirlwell
The Odyssey, a new translation by Emily Wilson, which I am eyeing with some trepidation.
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