Can’t Wait Wednesday – THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED by Lisa Jewell

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“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.  It is a meme that I have  loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.

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My selection for this week is The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell.  I have consistently had wonderful reading experiences with Lisa Jewell’s thrillers.  So much so that she has become one of my go-to authors when I’m in the mood for a deliciously twisted read. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her newest

 

THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED by Lisa Jewell

Publication Date:  September 7, 2021 by Atria Books

From Goodreads:

2017: 19 year old Tallulah is going out on a date, leaving her baby with her mother, Kim.

Kim watches her daughter leave and, as late evening turns into night, which turns into early morning, she waits for her return. And waits.

The next morning, Kim phones Tallulah’s friends who tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a party at a house in the nearby woods called Dark Place.

She never returns.

2019: Sophie is walking in the woods near the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started work as a head-teacher when she sees a note fixed to a tree.

‘DIG HERE’ . . .

A cold case, an abandoned mansion, family trauma and dark secrets lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell’s remarkable new novel.

 

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday – Life’s a Beach: 10 of My Favorite Summery Book Covers

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is actually supposed to be Book Titles That Are Questions, but I just wasn’t feeling it.  Honestly, I did peruse my shelves and Googled a bit but couldn’t find any books I had actually read aside from Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? and Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?  Since that topic was obviously a bust for me, I decided to go rogue and share some of my recent favorite summery book covers.

10 of My Favorite Summery Book Covers

 

 

Books Featured:

1. PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry.

2.  THE BOOKSTORE ON THE BEACH by Brenda Novak.

3.  GOLDEN GIRL by Elin Hilderbrand.

4.  MALIBU RISING by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

5. YOU HAVE A MATCH by Emma Lord.

6. SHIPPED by Angie Hockman.

7.  UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY by Kristy Woodson Harvey.

8.  THAT SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner.

9. BEACH READ by Emily Henry. (I love both the hardcover and paperback covers).

10. WAIT FOR IT by Jenn McKinlay.

 

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Question:  Do you like summery book covers?

Can’t Wait Wednesday – YOU’LL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Karen McManus

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“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.  It is a meme that I have  loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.

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My selection for this week is You’ll Be The Death of Me by Karen McManus. McManus is one of my favorite authors when it comes to YA thrillers.  She just gets it right every time, so I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her latest.

YOU’LL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Karen McManus

Publication Date:  November 30, 2021 by Delacorte Press

From Goodreads:

From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand-new pulse-pounding thriller. It’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with murder when three old friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly–and fatally–wrong.

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Now all they have in common is Carlton High and the beginning of a very bad day.

Type A Ivy lost a student council election to the class clown, and now she has to face the school, humiliated. Heartthrob Mateo is burned out–he’s been working two jobs since his family’s business failed. And outsider Cal just got stood up . . . again.

So when Cal pulls into campus late for class and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They’ll ditch and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Except they’ve barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say . . .

. . . until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school–and follow him to the scene of his own murder. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it’s about to get worse.

It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common. They all have a connection to the dead kid. And they’re all hiding something.

Now they’re all wondering–could it be that their chance reconnection wasn’t by chance after all?

 

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday – Reasons Why I Read

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is Reasons Why I Love Reading.  I feel like I’ve done this topic before but couldn’t find a post for it anywhere on the blog.  Hopefully I’m not rehashing something I’ve already talked about, haha.

 

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via GIPHY

Reasons Why I Read

 

1. I read to escape from whatever is causing me stress. This became especially important during the pandemic when everyday became nothing but stress.

 

2. I read to satisfy my wanderlust.  I love to read novels set in my favorite travel destinations and to discover new ones.

 

3. I read to learn new things.  This is why I’m so drawn to historical fiction and why I have tried to read more nonfiction than usual this year.  I think it’s good to always be learning new things and reading is an enjoyable way to accomplish that.

 

4. I read to help me consider things from another perspective.  I like when books challenge my usual way of thinking about something.

 

5. I read for the nostalgia factor. I love to revisit old favorites from my childhood. I think this is why I’m so drawn to fairytale retellings.  It’s like revisiting an old friend but with a twist.

 

6. I read to avoid potentially awkward social interactions.

 

7. I read to live vicariously through fictional characters and have experiences I’ll probably never have in my own life.

 

8. I read to connect with my child.  I make a point to read whatever my son is reading for school so that we can talk about it together.

 

9. I read because it’s like exercise for my brain.  A book leaves me with food for thought in a way that most movies and TV shows just don’t.

 

10. I read to relax and wind down at night.  Nothing helps me fall asleep more consistently than reading.  (Well, unless I’m reading a book I can’t put down, haha!)

 

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Question:  Why do you read?

Can’t Wait Wednesday – WELL MATCHED by Jen DeLuca

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“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.  It is a meme that I have  loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.

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My selection for this week is Well Matched by Jen DeLuca.  I’ve enjoyed this series so much and can’t wait to get Mitch and April’s story, especially since it sounds like fake dating is involved.

 

WELL MATCHED by Jen DeLuca

Publication Date:  October 19, 2021 by Berkley

 

From Goodreads:

An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.

Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire–a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch’s family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch’s girlfriend again…something that doesn’t feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans–and open her heart–for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

 

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday – My Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2021

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2021.  This is always an easy topic just because, of course, there are always so many books that I’m excited to get my hands on.  I don’t have ARCs for most of these so I’ll be waiting to read them when they’re actually out in the world, but I fully expect several of these to make my best of 2021 list. 🙂

My Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2021

  

   

 

1. HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG by Tracey Garvis Graves  –  “From the bestselling author of The Girl He Used to Know comes a love song of a story about starting over and second chances.”

2.  ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams – I adore this series and I’m so excited that we’re finally getting a book with the Russian, who is my favorite character from the series.

3.  THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood – “When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.”

4.  THE BOOK OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman – Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors so her books will always make my most anticipated lists, especially if it’s a new book in my favorites series. 🙂

5. THE HEART PRINCIPLE by Helen Hoang – This is another favorite series of mine and this time around we’re getting a book about Quan, who is a favorite character from earlier books.

6. ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART by Stephanie Garber – This is obviously a trend with my list but here is yet another new book that features a beloved character from a previous series, this time it’s Jacks from Caraval.

7.  WAIT FOR IT by Jenn McKinlay – “A woman looking for a new lease on life moves to Arizona where she rents a guest house on a gorgeous property with a mysterious owner–a man who teaches her about resilience, courage, and ultimately true love, in this funny, bighearted novel about hope and healing from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.”

8.  THE EX HEX by Erin Sterling – “New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.”  I read somewhere that this is like Hocus Pocus but with sex, which sounds pretty irresistible to me.

9.  FERAL CREATURES by Kira Jane Buxton – “In this stunning follow-up to Hollow Kingdom, the animal kingdom’s “favorite apocalyptic hero”is back with a renewed sense of hope for humanity, ready to take on a world ravaged by a viral pandemic.” Hollow Kingdom turned out to be such a gem of a book that I can’t wait to revisit this world and see what S.T. is up to.

10. SURVIVE THE NIGHT by Riley Sager – “It’s November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana’s in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer…” I’ve had really good luck with Sager’s thrillers so far, so I’m pretty excited to get my hands on a copy of his latest.

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Question:  Are you planning to read any of these?

Can’t Wait Wednesday – JUST HAVEN’T MET YOU YET by Sophie Cousens

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“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.  It is a meme that I have  loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.

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My selection for this week is JUST HAVEN’T MET YOU YET by Sophie Cousens.  I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time I was reading the blurb for this book. It just sounds so sweet and so funny.

 

JUST HAVEN’T MET YOU YET by Sophie Cousens

Publication Date:  November 9, 2021 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

 

From Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year comes a heartwarming and hilarious tale that asks: What if you pick up the wrong suitcase in an airport, only to fall head over heels for its unseen owner?

Laura’s business trip to the Channel Islands isn’t exactly off to a great start. After unceremoniously dumping everything in her bag in front of the most attractive man she’s ever seen in real life, she arrives at her hotel only to realize she’s grabbed the wrong suitcase from the airport. Her only consolation? The irresistibly appealing contents of the case: a copy of her favorite book; piano music; and a rugged, heavy knit fisherman sweater only a Ryan Gosling lookalike could pull off. The owner of this suitcase is Laura’s dream man–she’s sure of it. Now, all she has to do is find him.

The mix-up seems written in the stars. After all, what are the odds that she’d find The One on the same remote island where her mom and dad had first fallen in love, especially as she sets out to write an article about their epic romance? Commissioning surly cab driver Ted to ferry her around seems like her best bet in both tracking down the mystery suitcase owner and retracing her parents’ footsteps. And if beneath Ted’s gruffness lies a wit that makes their cab rides strangely entertaining, so much the better. But as Laura’s long-lost luggage soulmate proves difficult to find–and as she realizes that the love story she’s held on a pedestal all her life might not have been that perfect–she’ll have to rethink her whole outlook on love to discover what she really wants.

 

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday – Bookish Wishes

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is Bookish Wishes (Jana’s birthday is today, so celebrate with her by granting the wishes of your friends! This is a popular thing to do on Twitter, but today we’re blog hopping. List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to a wishlist so that people can grant your wish. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address [here’s how to do it on Amazon] or include the email address associated with your ereader so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Don’t feel obligated to send anything!)

First of all, Happy Birthday to Jana!  Second, although I am sharing some items from my Amazon Book Wishlist, I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to purchase anything.  I’m thinking of this post more as a way to illustrate what kinds of books I actually put on my wishlist.  I do have a running wishlist that I keep on Amazon and that I send to certain folks in my life whenever it’s gift buying time.  They all say I’m hard to shop for so I figure by sharing some items they can’t go wrong with, I’m making their holiday/birthday, etc. shopping a little less painful, haha.

Here’s my full wishlist for anyone who’s interested in seeing it.  —–> Suzanne Bookish Wishlist

Bookish Wishes

 

So, what kind of books end up on my list?

 

  • In the case of books like Gemina and The Cruel Prince,  these are from series I’ve already read and loved so much that I started buying paper copies for my collection, but missed a book or two.

 

  • Books like Survive the Night by Riley Sager and Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber are preorders for upcoming releases by favorite authors.

 

  • Amelia Unabridged made my list due to glowing reviews from trusted bloggers, as did Meghan Quinn’s Getting Lucky series. I snagged the first book with some credits I had a while back so the rest of the books went on the list.

 

  • Maybe in Another Life and After I Do have landed on my wishlist because Taylor Jenkins Reid is a new favorite author of mine and I want to go back and read everything on her backlist.

 

  • The Cousins and The Ladies of the Secret Circus have fall into the category of “I really want to read these but I think I’m going to forget about them if I only have them marked on Goodreads.  My Goodreads Want-to-Read list is a hot mess and I forget about almost every book I add to it.

 

  • Another category that isn’t pictured here are books I read ARCs of and loved them so much that I want to have a physical copy for my collection.  Red, White & Blue and One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston fit into that category.

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Question:  Do you have an Amazon wishlist that you actually give out to people?  What kind of books are on your list?

Can’t Wait Wednesday – DONUT FALL IN LOVE by Jackie Lau

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“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.  It is a meme that I have  loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.

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My selection for this week is DONUT FALL IN LOVE by Jackie Lau.  Donuts and a cute, sexy contemporary romance?  Count me in!

 

DONUT FALL IN LOVE by Jackie Lau

Publication Date:  November 9, 2021 by Berkley

 

From Goodreads:

A baker provides the sweetest escape for an actor in this charming romantic comedy.

Actor Ryan Kwok is back in Toronto after the promotional tour for his latest film, a rom-com that is getting less-than-stellar reviews. After the sudden death of his mother and years of constant work, Ryan is taking some much-needed time off. But as he tries to be supportive to his family, he struggles with his loss and doesn’t know how to talk to his dad—who now trolls him on Twitter instead of meeting him for dim sum.

Innovative baker Lindsay McLeod meets Ryan when he knocks over two dozen specialty donuts at her bakery. Their relationship is off to a messy start, but there’s no denying their immediate attraction. When Ryan signs up for a celebrity episode of Baking Fail, he asks Lindsay to teach him how to bake and she agrees.

As Lindsay and Ryan spend time together, bonding over grief and bubble tea, it starts to feel like they’re cooking up something sweeter than cupcakes in the kitchen.

 

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on My Summer 2021 TBR

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is Books on My Summer 2021 TBR.  I enjoy this topic because I’m always curious to see what my fellow book bloggers are planning to read next.  I am still on my quest to read more of the books I already own, so today I’m sharing 5 of the ARCs I’m planning to read this summer as well as 5 older books that are sitting on my shelf begging me to pay attention to them.

Books on My Summer 2021 TBR

 

 

1. DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto  –  “A hilariously quirky novel that is equal parts murder mystery, rom-com, and a celebration of mothers and daughters as well as a deep dive into Chinese-Indonesian culture, by debut author Jesse Q. Sutanto.

1 (accidental) murder
2 thousand wedding guests
3 (maybe) cursed generations
4 meddling Asian aunties to the rescue!”

2. ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams – The Russian finally gets his own book! This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

3. WHILE WE WERE DATING by Jasmine Guillory – “Two people realize that it’s no longer an act when they veer off-script in this sizzling romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory.”

4. THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah  – ” From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.”

5. THE HEART PRINCIPLE by Helen Hoang  – ” A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this heartfelt new romance by USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang.”

6. HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by Sarah J. Maas  –  “With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.”

7. RULE OF WOLVES by Leigh Bardugo  –  “The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.”

8. IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER by Tessa Bailey  –  “Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town… where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.”

9. TO SIR, WITH LOVE by Lauren Layne  –  “Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy following two thirty-somethings who meet on a blind dating app—only to realize that their online chemistry is nothing compared to their offline rivalry.”

10. WILD AT HEART by K.A. Tucker  –  “From the internationally best-selling author of The Simple Wild comes the continuation of a woman’s journey to Alaska and a life she never imagined for herself.”

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Question:  Have you read any of these?