Booked to Dine Summer Time R&R for 2022

 Summer Time Reading Adventures...

Ellery Adams

ISBN: 9781496712387

Publisher's Synopsis:

Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is a place of healing. Strangers flock here hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked “comfort” scone from the Gingerbread House bakery, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That’s Nora’s special talent—prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person’s deepest pain and lighten their heaviest burden.

When a visiting businessman reaches out to Nora for guidance, she knows exactly which novels will help. But before he can keep their appointment at Miracle Books, he’s found dead on the train tracks.

Stunned, Nora forms the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, a group of damaged souls yearning to gain trust and earn redemption by helping others. To join the society, members must divulge their darkest secret—the terrible truth that brought each of them to Miracle Springs in the first place.

Determined to uncover the truth behind the businessman’s demise, the women meet in Nora’s cramped and cozy bookstore to share stories and trade support. And as they untangle a web of corruption, they also discover their own courage, purpose, and a sisterhood that will carry them through every challenge. Proving it’s never too late to turn the page and start over . . .

MrsK's Review:

Nora is an amazing book woman. Her amazing talent for listening, and her gift for choosing and placing the perfect book in the hands of her patrons are awe-inspiring. She is a woman of intelligence, creativity, ingenuity, and an amazing friend. She owns Miracle Books which is Miracle Springs old train station. She has made her home in a small community, in which the Secret, Book & Scone Society stumbles upon mysteries in need of sleuthing. Seriously... what could be better... a delightful group of friends... living in a caboose... a wonderful career of matching stories to its reader?

This first novel is woven with delightful characters. Quick humor. And the most baffling murder!

Get excited about this "Yummy" mystery series,

MrsK

Booked To Dine Book Choice for October!

Meet the Author:

USA Today and New York Times bestseller author Ellery Adams has written forty novels and can’t imagine spending a day away from the keyboard. Ms. Adams, a Native New Yorker, has had a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals, and large bodies of water. When not working on her next novel, she bakes, gardens, drinks vats of coffee, spoils her three cats, and searches for snacks. She lives with her husband and two children (aka the Trolls) in North Carolina.

Debbie Macomber

ISBN: 9780345535252

Publisher's Synopsis:

From the minute she sees the Rose Harbor Inn, Jo Marie Rose knows that this is the place that will help her find the peace she craves. And if the inn can comfort her, surely it can offer the same refuge to her first two guests.

Joshua Weaver has come home to care for his ailing stepfather. The two have never seen eye to eye, but a long-lost acquaintance proves to him that forgiveness is not out of reach and love can bloom in the unlikeliest places.

Abby Kinkaid left Cedar Cove twenty years ago after a devastating accident. But as she reconnects with family and old friends, she realizes that she needs to let the past go if she is to embrace her future.

"Rose Harbor... Rose... for whom I will grieve for whatever remains of my life.

Harbor for the place I have set my anchor as the storms of life batter me."

MrsK's Review:

Cedar Cove, a place for healing. New beginnings, a reset, a whispered hope. Jo Marie has bought a bed and breakfast. A "breathtaking" house with a wraparound porch and an "incredible view." The move was quick, especially since the house was already a B&B. But now, this was her B&B.

With the purchase of the inn, Jo Marie would be hosting her first two guests. Josh Weaver, someone who had only been back to Cedar Cove once since his high school graduation. Abby Kincaid, who has returned to Cedar Cove for her older brother's wedding. Jo Marie didn't have a lot to do, since the Inn was a "turn-key" purchase, so Jo Marie begins her first morning preparing for her two guests.

The only reason Josh is back in Cedar Cove is because of his step-father's neighbors. He received the call that Richard was failing and Michelle felt that "it would be nice" if Josh could make peace with Richard.

For Abby, her brother's wedding was the priority. All those years ago, as she recovered from the deadly car crash, had left her with shadow's of shame and guilt. To return home meant that she would be around those whom she ran from. She wanted to be there for her brother... only to get the first flight away from Cedar Cove as soon as the wedding is over.

While Jo Marie is lulled into a comfortable chair, she is "savoring the warmth of her new life. Settling in has begun. Mark is an "all around" craftsman, the one who can help build the inn's new sign and her vintage rose garden. With clashing personalities, she wonders just how well this working contract will get completed.

Cedar cove has opened its doors... will these five accept the healing and hope that is offered? Open the cover of this book, your journey will be revitalized.

MrsK

Meet the Author:

  Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot. In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, two adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.

Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.

She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.

Link

Ellery Adams

ISBN: 9781496726421

Publisher's Synopsis:

Nora Pennington is known for her window displays, and as Halloween approaches, she decides to showcase fictional heroines like Roald Dahl’s Matilda and Madeline Miller’s Circe. A family-values group disapproves of the magical themes, though, and wastes no time launching a modern-day witch hunt. Suddenly, former friends and customers are targeting not only Nora and Miracle Books but a new shopkeeper, Celeste, who’s been selling CBD oil products.

Nora and her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society are doing their best to put an end to the strife—but then someone puts an end to a life. Though the death is declared an accident, the ruling can’t explain the old book page covered with strange symbols and disturbing drawings left under Nora’s doormat, a postcard from an anonymous stalker, or multiple cases of vandalism.

The only hope is that Nora can be a heroine herself and lead the Secret, Book, and Scone Society in a successful investigation—before more bodies turn up and the secrets from Celeste’s past come back to haunt them all . . .

"You can't go back to the beginning,

but you can start where you are and change the ending." CS Lewis

MrsK's Review:

Yes, this is part of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series. Actually, this is the fourth in the series. Since it has been so hot in our area, getting a jump on a perfect fall read seems appropriate. If Nora could be my mentor... well I would have been begging for a job at her bookshop. This speaks to the fact that I am reviewing two books from the same series in one post!

I must introduce you to the other members of the society. Meet Hester, she is the "scone whisperer"... oh what she can create for her patrons is truly "yum-riffic!" Meet Estella, as the Magnolia Salon and Spa owner, she is a provocative, fully enchanting woman who sees life... and lives it to the fullest. June works at the Miracle Springs Lodge. Her needlework brings comfort to many at the Lodge and in the community of Miracle Springs. Sheldon is Miracle Books "window wizard." There are times that he is outlandishly funny. There are times he brings stability for Nora. He is that "perfect" employee that watches over the tales within the store, as well as Nora... especially when there is a murder to solve.

For this mystery, Nora will have to deal with some nasty attitudes, threats, and a few delightful new characters. Miracle Springs will be divided by gossip, protests, and of course a very sad murder. The newest member of the community, Celeste, will have struggles getting Soothe, her candle and herb shop started. She will come to trust the Society's friendship... that is until someone from her past shows up.

Reading books about books is always a delight. So many new titles to be discovered... so many wonderful bookshop adventures... and a murder mystery... is there any other way to spend an evening? Yes, there is! I spent the evening in search of book snacks that would match the wonderfully delicious scones and meals that are discussed throughout this novel. Let me tell you... nothing in my pantry came close to the delicacies in this novel! *Read this novel with a pencil and journal... I wonder... is there a limit to a "To Be Read" pile?

Next up...The Vanishing Type,

MrsK

Meet the Author: 

  USA Today and New York Times bestseller author Ellery Adams has written forty novels and can’t imagine spending a day away from the keyboard. Ms. Adams, a Native New Yorker, has had a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals, and large bodies of water. When not working on her next novel, she bakes, gardens, drinks vats of coffee, spoils her three cats, and searches for snacks. She lives with her husband and two children (aka the Trolls) in North Carolina.

Toshikazu Kawaguchi

ISN: 9781335430991

Publisher's Synopsis:

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

"What would you change if you could travel back in time?"

MrsK's Review:

Fumiko one week ago was sitting in the café, she was hoping that the serious conversation would be a marriage proposal, unfortunately it wasn't. Instead, Goro's abrupt departure left Fumiko with a mixture of despair and anger. With tear's in her eyes... she knows what she must do. The only café customers were herself, the woman reading a novel, Fusagi who was taking notes from a magazine, and Yaeko Hirai who was just leaving.

Kohtake a nurse, who stops by the café when her shift is over. Fusagi is waiting for the woman at the table to leave her chair. He is there on a regular basis and the café staff keep watch over him whenever he comes in. Suffering from Alzheimer's, Fusagi wants to deliver a letter to wife, and so he comes to the café and waits for the woman in the chair to leave.

Kumi Hirai knows her sister will be at the café at some moment in time. She can't wait for her, so she leaves a note for her sister Yaeko Hirai. 

Kei  works at the café. She is always carefree and so good with the customers. Upon her return from an OB/GYN appointment, she greets a young girl that has the strangest request. Why would the girl want a "selfie" picture with Kei?

"Drink the coffee before it gets cold..."

MrsK

"The only people you can meet while in the past are those who have..."

Meet the Author:

 

Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.

Reese Witherspoon

ISBN: 9781501166273

Publisher's Synopsis:

Reese Witherspoon's grandmother Dorothea always said a combination of beauty and strength made Southern women "whiskey in a teacup". We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside, we're strong and fiery.

Reese's Southern heritage informs her whole life, and she loves sharing the joys of Southern living with practically everyone she meets. She takes the South wherever she goes with bluegrass, big holiday parties, and plenty of Dorothea's fried chicken. It's reflected in how she entertains, decorates her home, and makes holidays special for her kids - not to mention how she talks, dances, and does her hair (in this audiobook, you will learn Reese's fail-proof, only slightly insane hot-roller technique). Reese loves sharing Dorothea's most delicious recipes as well as her favorite Southern traditions, from midnight barn parties to backyard bridal showers, magical Christmas mornings to rollicking honky-tonks.

"Well, I'm a lady, and I'm going to handle it like a lady."

MrsK's Review:

Are you looking for some wonderful southern recipes? Could a cup of sweet tea make a moment of your day a bit more blessed? This is one of those books that called out, of course the title grabbed my attention since I've enjoyed moments with a dabble of whiskey in my tea cup. Moving on, there was a hope that I might discover a new read, after all Reese has her own book club. Finally, is there anything better than a recipe book that engages you beyond enticing food pictures?

Within the covers, you will find: a memory or insight into the wisdom of those who walked before us; wonderful treasures that are "built to last;" nature's blessings of colors and textures; flea market strategies; hostess tips; remembrance gifts and scrapbooking ideas; family dinner gratitude; business targets and ideas; and of course southern recipes. 

For a few recipe enticers: Dorothea's Sun Tea with Pecan-Crusted Chicken Skewers; Mud Pie Trifle; Kentucky Hot Bites; Dorothea's Corn Salad; Summer Squash Casserole; and Confetti Betty's Champagne and Ginger Ale Cocktail. Whether you enjoy family meal planning, hosting holiday gatherings, or just a great book-and-tea discussion... this is a must have addition for your kitchen pantry!

What's not too like... just opening the cover to beautiful end pages whispered the fresh breath of comfort and joyful anticipation. 

One of the delightful "gems" within the covers of this book is the discovery that those women who walked before us... are still shining through for the next generations. Having been raised with five generations of women, my heart was touched with comfort and a renewed courage as I read Reese's description of her Grandmother. It was, as if, my grands and greats were saying "you go Reese!" I could almost hear their voices, teacups "clicking" amongst everyone's chatter, and the joy scanning their faces once more. For that one moment in time... I thank you Reese!

Sometimes we just need to be welcomed home...

MrsK

Meet the Author:

  

 

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon is an American actress, producer, and entrepreneur. She is the recipient of several awards, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Tennessee, she began her career as a teenager, making her professional screen debut in The Man in the Moon (1991), for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award. Witherspoon owns a production company Hello Sunshine, a clothing company Draper James, and she is actively involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations. She serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.

Reese's Book Club: Okay, we're a little biased but hear us out. Each month, Reese, our founder (and book-lover-in-chief) chooses a book with a woman at the center of the story. There's not a formula to the books we spotlight, and we like it that way. We make our choices thoughtfully and look for ways to deepen our connection to books, authors and ourselves.

Fall Into these Books... Before the Season Changes!

Summertime is the perfect time...

For grand escapes... adventures... and memories! 

Classics: Family Read Aloud

Kenneth Grahame

ISBN: 9780823428212

Publisher's Synopsis:

In this beloved classic, a kind, young boy befriends a poetry-loving dragon living in the Downs above his home. When the town-folk send for St. George to slay the dragon, the boy must come up with a clever plan to save his friend and convince the townsfolk to accept him.

Continuously in print since 1938, this story appeared as a chapter in Kenneth Grahame's Dream Days and was first published as a stand-alone book with black and white illustrations throughout by Ernest H. Shepard--revisiting a collaboration first made famous through The Wind in the Willows.

MrsK's Review:

What do you think of when you hear someone is reading a Classic? For many of us, we think of a treasured friend... one of our top 10 reads. For some, we remember starting one in school... unfortunately we felt it didn't hold our interest. For many, we might moan!

There are so many great classics that are a must "read aloud" for our family story time. This is one of them. Meet a boy, his sister Charlotte, on a winter's morning tracking little prints... of a young dragon perhaps?

Meet their neighbor, a gentle man they call the "circus-man," whose garden they just happen to be where their "dragon" quest leads them. As the "circus-man" walks them home, Charlotte requests a story.

"Long ago - might have been hundreds of years ago - in a cottage

half-way between this village and yonder shoulder..."

To be continued... in your home or backyard... a journey to be remembered...

MrsK

Meet the Author:

Mr. Toad, Ratty, Mr. Badger, and Mole are among the many creatures and characters who inhabit Grahame's version of Victorian era England. He weaves their riverbank life and many adventures in magical yet universally appealing style. Grahame was well-esteemed during his career with the Bank of England, which had started in 1879 and culminated in his being appointed Secretary at the age of thirty-nine. During these almost twenty years he also grew to be a respected writer, producing numerous essays, articles, and short stories for various publications. The Wind in the Willows was popular when first released, praised by American President Theodore Roosevelt, and established Grahame's career as a children's author. The year 1930 saw its first successful adaptation for the stage as Toad of Toad Hall, by A. A. Milne, and, that same year, it was re-published with lavish illustrations by E.H. Shepherd. This cemented its reputation as a classic among children's literature--almost a century later it remains in print and is popular among readers of all ages.

Grades 2-3

Marianne Malone

ISBN: 9780375867903

Publisher's Synopsis:

Ruthie and Jack thought that their adventures in the Thorne Rooms were over . . . until miniatures from the rooms start to disappear. Is it the work of the art thief who's on the loose in Chicago? Or has someone else discovered the secret of the Thorne Rooms' magic? Ruthie and Jack's quest to stop the thief takes them from modern day Chicago to 1937 Paris to antebellum South Carolina. But as more items disappear, including the key that allows them to shrink and access the past worlds, what was once just an adventure becomes a life and death race against the clock. Can Ruthie and Jack catch the thief and help the friends they meet on the way before the magic—and the rooms—are destroyed forever? Fans of magic, mystery, and adventure will love this rollicking sequel to Marianne Malone's The Sixty-Eight Rooms.

MrsK's Review:

Ruthie awakens in a room that isn't her own. Panicked, she continues to look for a way out. When she realizes that she had been at the gallery opening the night before. No one would believe how Jack and Ruthie had found a sixteenth century key. Or that the key helped them shrink and explore the 68 Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute.

Of course who could have a key to 68 miniature rooms and not return for more explorations? While Jack is recovering, Ruthie begins art classes at the Art Institute. What she quickly discovers is that some of the rooms no longer have the "magic" of the surrounding areas coming to life. In the new, she learns that there are art dealers who are alarmed by a surge in art thefts.

Will Ruthie and a recovering Jack be able to find out what is happening in the 68 rooms? Is there a connection with the art thefts? Where did Jack put the key?

If you like mysteries, or better yet... if you like the worlds of miniatures... begin this series,

I'll be reading the third book in this series... 68 wonderous adventures...

Mrs.K 

MrsK's Review

    
            Book 3               Book 4               

Meet the Author:

  

I was born and raised in the Chicago area. I was not a nose-in-the-book sort of kid, like many authors. Rather, I could be found climbing trees or building forts, or making something with my hands. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy reading, it’s just that it was hard to squeeze it in with all the other things I wanted to do in a day. My mother was an artist – lucky me! – who taught me all kinds of wonderful ways to make art and to live a creative life.

She also took me to the Art Institute of Chicago frequently, which is where I fell in love with the Thorne Miniature Rooms. Many years later, after I’d studied art in college, began raising my family, co-founded a middle school for girls, and became an art teacher, the Rooms still captured my imagination. In fact, they turned me into a writer when I could no longer ignore the stories they planted in my head.

I wanted to create the kinds of books I would have loved when I was young, the kind of books that would have made me stop what I was doing, the kind of books I couldn’t put down. I had to work hard to learn how to turn these stories that lived in my head into books that young readers would enjoy. But that was half the fun of it – learning a new way to be creative!

4th-7th Grade:

Lynda Mullaly Hunt

ISBN: 9780142426425

Publisher's Synopsis:

“Everybody is smart in different ways. 

But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

"It's always there. 

Like the ground underneath my feet."

"I wish I had my Sketchbook of Impossible Things."

MrsK's Review:

Ally has a secret. Even though there are those who assume she can't act normal. Those whom will create suffocating pain that causes her to bolt out of the classroom. As well as, those that will prove to be a friends within the socially destructive hallways of her seventh school in seven years.

Albert might be a bit large, a bit clumsy, and not the best at social interactions. Yet, when all is said and done, he is a forever friend and extremely brilliant. When Ally is encouraged to run for the classroom representative, it's Albert who will create a poster for her speech!

Keisha likes to bake... and write. Keisha will be one of the rarity, she invites Ally to site at the lunch table. She will be honest about what she thinks, especially when it proves that someone is honest and trustworthy.

Travis is Ally's older brother. He is a fixer, an engine expert, and her stability since their dad has been deployed. Travis has a secret. When he notices Ally's determination to learn, he begins to question how she's doing in her classes.

Mr. Daniels is the new teacher. In Ally's mind, most teachers don't like students to be different... and yet Mr. Daniels celebrates their differences. Mr. Daniels will be the one to discover Ally's secret. Will he be able to help Ally? Will Ally be willing to trust Mr. Daniels encouragements and suggestions?

Will anyone give her the answer by the time you reach the end of the book?

MrsK

"I think of Grandpa and Dad, who always asked us

if we were having a silver dollar or a wooden nickel day."

Meet the Author:

 

What strange times these are, huh? I have been thinking of you all, knowing that whether you are distance teaching from home or in your school building, these times are full of unique challenges. There are plans that seem to change daily. There is uncertainty. There are times when you, as teachers on the front lines, do not feel seen and supported.

8th-High School

John Green

ISBN: 9780525555360

Publisher's Synopsis:

It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

"Anybody can look at you.

It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see."

MrsK's Review:

Aza, also known as Holmesy, never thought that she would be investigating a missing person, let alone a billionaire. Nor did she think that a childhood friend would be the one that came back into her life and helped her to recognize her strengths beyond her fears.

Daisy is Aza's "fearless friend." Someone who gets her, all of her unique challenges, and most of her valued perspectives. Until they go to the missing billionaire's home to check on an old trail camera. Will their friendship survive the unforeseen financial gift that was given to them as a way to not disclose their discovery?

Davis hasn't seen Aza in years. Just when he has learned that his dad is on the run, Aza and her friend end up on the property of his home. It's great seeing Aza again, especially now that he has guardianship of his younger brother, Noah. Sometimes even the rich are put to the test of life beyond their control. Will Davis discover a lasting friendship with Aza or will she be one of the many who are only interested in what might be a trust fund?

When another reader leads you to a new discovery... sometimes you accept the journey just because of who they are. When that journey takes you beyond yourself into the challenges of anxious fears, you realize that many live in fear... yet, are extremely bright and compassionate towards the needs of others. Aza, Davis, and Daisy have lives that are unique unto them... are you willing to discover a connection we all have... a consistent need for friendship, understanding, and the willingness to accept those who cross your path?

MrsK

"The way he (nkogneato) talked about thoughts was the way I (Aza) experienced them...

not as a choice but as a destiny."

Meet the Author:

 

John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New York Times bestseller and won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best YA Mystery. In January 2012, his most recent novel, The Fault in Our Stars, was met with wide critical acclaim, unprecedented in Green's career. The praise included rave reviews in Time Magazine and The New York Times, on NPR, and from award-winning author Markus Zusak. The book also topped the New York Times Children's Paperback Bestseller list for several weeks. Green has also coauthored a book with David Levithan called Will Grayson, Will Grayson, published in 2010. The film rights for all his books, with the exception of Will Grayson Will Grayson, have been optioned to major Hollywood Studios.