It's sweater weather! I'm enjoying the mornings that are a bit cooler, and I think we finally have sun in the forecast.
My husband was gone for work this past week, but unfortunately any hope of extra reading time was eliminated by going to bed extremely early and resting in an effort to get rid of the cold I caught somewhere.
We've got a cross country meet in Minnesota on the docket for Little Sister tomorrow which will provide me with reading time on the trip there and back.
I found plenty of things that caught my eye this week.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.
This week's pick: Members Only by Emma Rosenblum
Due out: January 12, 2027
Synopsis taken from Amazon:
From bestselling author Emma Rosenblum comes a fast-paced, satirical thriller set at an exclusive country club, where a sudden death on the day of an important wedding unravels the carefully held secrets of its status-obsessed members. Harrington Country Club is a carefully manicured haven for Greenwich’s wealthy residents. Middle-aged blondes (icy, honey, and golden, respectively) and their khaki-clad husbands sunbathe at the Olympic-size pool, traverse the massive golf course, and play heated tournaments on the much fought-over newly installed pickleball courts. And yet below that shiny veneer bubbles a much messier reality.
Ted Flynn, the president of the club and father-in-law of the bride-to-be, hasn’t been entirely truthful about his financial situation. Despite her mother’s wishes, Jessie Summit doesn’t actually want to marry her Ken doll fiancé, Patrick Flynn. And the chef, Mike Lightbody, who was inexplicably poached from a trendy Brooklyn restaurant to cook at a country club in Connecticut, has more than his fair share to lose.
When a body hits the ground on the morning of Jessie and Patrick’s wedding, everyone is a suspect.
Funny, propulsive, and quietly shocking, Members Only is a story about privilege and the lengths to which people will go to protect it.
My love of the royal family started back in 1982 and still continues. I thoroughly enjoyed Swan Song by Princess Diana's brother, Charles.
Charles' recollects and shares stories and memories of growing up with his sister, a public person who is instantly recognizable. I've read everything I could get my hands on about Diana for decades now, so the memories that Charles Spencer shared were a pleasure to hear.
Charles gained some notoriety for the eulogy he gave at Diana's funeral, and the text of that is contained at the end of this book. His recollections of Diana's death and the preparations for her memorial do not paint King Charles in a positive light, yet he stated several times how much he cared for his nephews William and Harry. Although his feelings about Charles are justified, dragging the King's name through the mud seems unlikely to be helpful to his nephews, and run counter to his claims of trying to protect them.
That aside, this is well written and an enjoyable read for anyone who wants a glimpse at Diana's early life by the younger brother who knew her best.
Time seems to go so quickly on weekends and my best intentions of getting some blogs written ahead of time seem to go by the wayside rather quickly.
This weekend I woke up on Saturday with a cold and ended up resting much of the day. I picked up Jodi Picoult's newest book, Hollow Bones, and spent the day curled up on the couch, or resting in bed, while reading.
Picoult always finds a hot-button topic and presents multiple perspectives through her characters and this is no exception.
Molly's mother died in in September 11 attacks and although she had a happy childhood, she has always grieve the loss of her mom. Now as she is about to become a mother herself, she longs to have known what her own mom was like.
There were a few twists to this story I didn't see coming (Picoult's secret superpower), and I am waiting for a few of my friends to read this one so I can talk with them about the few things I found problematic (that contain spoilers).
My book club is discussing this one in a few weeks as well, so I am curious how other readers found it.
So many great clothes come out for the fall and winter. I love the warm summer weather but it is truly the cold weather clothing I love the most. We are in the middle of an incredibly rainy and gloomy September. I think that makes it feel a little bit more like cuddling up in some thick sweaters and sweatshirts, and there are plenty to choose from.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.
This week's pick: Between You A River by Kimberly Garza
Due out December 1, 2026
Synopsis taken from Amazon:
A sweeping family saga set in Texas and the Philippines, following two sisters unearthing their mother's long-buried secrets.
In the 1960s, on the island of Mindoro in the Philippines, the future of Corazon de la Cruz’s family rests with her. She’ll be the first to go to college, to immigrate to the United States, and to support her family back home by becoming a doctor. She can’t remember whether this dream was ever her own, or if she even has a say in it. But after a fire mysteriously breaks out on the de la Cruzes’ land, the family splinters, and Corazon is faced with a fateful choice.
Decades later, Corazon’s death has shaken the family to its very core. Her daughters, Hannah and Mari, are estranged from their roots in the Philippines when a distant cousin urges the sisters to return to settle unresolved business. Together for the first time in years, the sisters find that the future of their family’s ancestral land is now in their hands, and it’s about to slip away. As they fight to protect their inheritance, they uncover long-buried secrets hidden from them by their beloved matriarch―about her life, their homeland, and themselves.
A lush family saga and a love letter to the Philippines, Between You a River follows two generations of de la Cruzes as they confront the sacrifices made by mothers so their daughters can lead different lives, leaving them to wrestle with the lifelong push and pull of home.
We just drove home from supper and noted that at 7:45 PM it is quite dark out. I love the summer months when it stays light so much later. In addition to the decrease in daylight, it's been cold and rainy all week, so a little sunshine would be nice. Fall clothes are all over the place now, and I love so much of what I'm seeing.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.
This week's pick: Madeline McKnight Signs Off by Evan Brooke
Due out: November 3, 2026
Synopsis taken from Amazon:
“An extraordinary exploration of friendship that spans the broadest universal themes of love and loyalty to the most intricate, intimate and memorable details of a human life.” —Jill McCorkle
It’s Never Too Late to Make Amends
Madeline McKnight is writing her final annual report. A former Wall Street power player, she uses a pie chart to rank her most hated rivals, a line graph to follow the trajectory of her net worth and reputation, and even a formula to predict when the metastasized cancer will kill her. But there’s no equation to solve for whether Bri Davis, Madeline’s ex-best friend’s daughter, will agree to take care of her at the end of her life. Bri is a nursing student fresh off a breakup, ambivalent about her future, and drowning in debt. She accepts Madeline’s strange proposal, mostly for the obscene payday, only to find herself face-to-face with a force of nature rather than an ailing patient. Madeline McKnight has never gone away quietly, and soon she ropes Bri into teaming up with her to handle her unusual bucket list.
An unconventional relationship between women of two generations becomes something transcendent in this vulnerable, heartbreaking, and life-affirming debut novel that proves there’s no age limit to coming of age.
Posting a collection of things to purchase seems wrong on the anniversary of 9/11, so I'm copying Melanie Shankle, who posted her weekly roundup on Thursday, and I'm posting mine a day after this day of remembrance.
I spent Thursday at one of my middle schools sharing books and resources with them about September 11. Obviously this was before they were born, and many of them have just heard snippets about it. I encouraged them to ask their parents where they were when they found out that the airplanes had flown into the World Trade Center. The classroom teachers and I shared our personal memories and the impact the tragedy has had on our country. It is something we will truly never forget.
This Friday is a beautiful fall day here, and we are at the beginning of XC season for Little Sister. She had a femoral stress fracture after the XC season during her senior year of high school. And then last year, suffered another femoral stress fracture mid-season in her other leg that she has been rehabbing for nearly ten months. I am hoping that this season she can remain healthy.
I did collect a variety of things to share with you all. Enjoy this week's finds as you relax this weekend.
10. Chad Powers - I'm late to the party on this one (which is no surprise because I rarely watch television). Season 2 just came out, and it sounds interesting enough that I'm thinking of going back and starting with season 1.
That's it for me this week. What's caught your eye?
