Book Cover of the Month: August

I love this book cover because it's about baking. Elements of baking such as the lady baker, the towel and the canning jar. Its heartwarming to view the glass jar and it is ingenious to use the words "a novel" on the jar.

The cover design was done by Kathleen Lynch, Principal at Black Kat Design. Lynch holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of  Connecticut School of Fine Arts and has worked as a cover designer for Random House and Art Director for Oxford University Press. Her designs have won acclaim from the Association of University Presses, the New York Book Show, AIGA and Print.

Her website shows additional books covers that she has designed. Many of these books are my favorites such as Jennifer Chiaverini's The World's Fair Quilt and The Museum of Lost Quilts. Lynch also designed book covers for Ellen Gilchrist, Sandra Brown, 

and Kristin Harmel. She makes all of these books enticing for the reader.

August Book of the Month

I didn't read half of the books that I planned to read this month. I am keyed up over a move to a new house. However, I read three books that I rated 5 out of 5 stars:  The List, The Baker of Lost Memories and An Inside Job. Dan Silva's An Inside Job is an art theft mystery which is why I chose it over a Holocaust survivor story and a murder mystery. I love art and read every art theft book I can find.

In Inside Job, retired Israeli spy Gabriel Allon works as an art restorer in Venice. He has been asked to recover a stolen painting by stealing it back. The painting, a portrait of a beautiful young girl, has been gathering dust in a storeroom at the Vatican Museums for more than a century, misattributed and hidden beneath a worthless picture by an unknown artist. Allon uses friends from his old spy network to help him steal the painting. 

An Inside Job is a fast read with plenty of suspense. I highly recommend it to mystery lovers.

Stacking the Shelves #35

There is one new book in my stack this week. Lilac Time was recently published.  It's an anthology of 3 stories by Fern Michaels, Lori Foster and Carolyn Brown. I don't think these three authors have ever written a bad novel so I know the book is going to be a great read.

The title of Ferm Michael's story is Sweet as Honey. Lori Foster's story is called Everything She Ever Wanted and Carolyn Brown wrote The Memory Cabin.  All of them are romances but Michael's also has a mystery plot.

I like the title chosen for the anthology. Lilac Time reminds us of the springtime romances that we all have had. Lilacs are some of my favorite flowers and I also love their purplish color. 

The book was published on April 29, 2025 but I just discovered it. I cannot wait to start reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday #45

Freida McFadden is the queen of psychological thrillers. On October 7, 2025 her newest book will be published. The Intruder is a tale of survival where our protagonist Casey has to determine how far she will go to save herself.

The publisher's summary:

Who knows what the storm will blow in… Casey's cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door sways ominously in the wind. But she's a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking outside her kitchen window. She's young. She's alone. And she's covered in blood. The girl won't explain where she came from, or loosen her grip on the knife in her right hand. And when Casey makes a disturbing discovery in the middle of the night, things take a turn for the worse. The girl has a dark secret. One she'll kill to keep. And if Casey gets too close to the truth, she may not live to see the morning.

 

This sounds pretty eerie to me and I wonder if the book will give me nightmares.

What books are you waiting for?

The Baker of Lost Memories

The Baker of Lost Memories is a Holocaust survivor story. It is an epic family saga that spans several decades and has multiple timelines. The author is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and is well qualified to write about the subject.

The publisher's summary:

From the author of A Castle in Brooklyn comes an epic novel spanning decades about the broken bonds of family, memories of war, and redemption and hope in the face of heartbreaking loss.

Growing up in 1960s Brooklyn, Lena wants to be a baker just like her mother was back in Poland prior to World War II. But questions about those days, and about a sister Lena never even knew, are ignored with solemn silence. It’s as if everything her parents left behind was a subject never to be broached.

The one person in whom Lena can confide is her best friend, Pearl. When she suddenly disappears from Lena’s life, Lena forges ahead: college, love and marriage with a wonderful man, the dream of owning a bakery becoming a reality, and the hope that someday Pearl will return to share in Lena’s happiness―and to be there for her during the unexpected losses to come.

Only when Lena discovers the depth of her parents’ anguish, and a startling truth about her own past, can they rebuild a family and overcome the heart-wrenching memories that have torn them apart.

The story is told in dual timelines. There is the 1930s and 1940s Poland and 1960s America. The 1930s saga is the most compelling. Anya and her husband Josef owned a bakery in Lodz. We read about Anya's family gradually losing civil rights and their heroic move to the U. S. after losing their disabled daughter to the Nazis. Anya, however, brought her baking skills with her and began passing them on to Lena.

Lena had a career path and began attending college to bring her dreams to fruition. Boyfriend Luke stopped her in her tracks and Lena gave up everything to live with him. She stopped seeing her parents and dropped our of college. Lena thought that when you fall in love you give everything up for your mate. She was not as strong as her mother and I am not sure why. She was raised to be a tough woman.

The story is both Anya and Lena's. Lena longs to bake as expertly as her mother and dreams of owning her own bakery someday. Her distant mother discourages her. Lena believes that she is a reminder of the loss of her sister Ruby. Since this is a story about Jewish bakers the reader gets to see the characters making Jewish dishes as well as baked treats. 

I loved this bittersweet novel and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The List

The List is a standalone novel by Steve Berry. Berry has written nineteen Cotton Malone novels, six stand-alone thrillers, two Luke Daniels adventures, and several works of short fiction. This novel is a murder mystery and I loved it.

The publisher's summary:

After a ten-year self-imposed exile, Brent Walker is returning home to Concord, a quaint town in central Georgia nestled close to the Savannah River. Two years ago his father died and now Brent, hired by Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company as its assistant general counsel, is returning to care for his ailing mother.

For decades Southern Republic has invested heavily in Concord, creating a thriving community where its employees live, work, and retire. But the genteel sheen of this quiet town is deceiving, and when a list of cryptic code surfaces, Brent starts to see the cracks.

Southern Republic’s success is based largely on a highly unorthodox and deadly system to control costs, known only to the three owners of the company. Now, one of them, Christopher Bozin, has had a change of heart. Brent’s return to Concord, a move Bozin personally orchestrated, provides his conscience with a chance at redemption. So a plan is set into motion, one that will not only criminally implicate Bozin’s two partners, but also place Brent Walker square in the crosshairs of men who want him dead—with only one course left available.

Find and reveal the shocking secret of the list.

This story is a page turner. In fact, I believe it has a faster pace than Berry's Cotton Malone books and that is saying something. The book opens with the first murder of the story and then moves to the main character, Brent Walker, returning to his hometown Concord, Georgia from Atlanta. Walker was an attorney working for the Fulton County State's Attorney where he prosecuted murders. His mother's poor health prompted his return. As Walker assimilates back into his rural community, he becomes involved with union negotiations for a new contract at the paper mill. This time, he represents the mill. 

I enjoyed reading about the Middle Georgia setting. Having visited it myself once or twice, I had a trip down memory lane. Even reading the author’s words "middle Georgia" brought a smile. What I didn't know was that author Steve Berry grew up in a similar paper town in Middle Georgia, which is why his descriptions are spot on. 

The characters are complex. The two main protagonists are Brent Walker and his childhood buddy Hank. Hank has been the union president for 20 odd years and always gets what he wants. He was even the mayor if Concord for awhile. There are several villains. It is hard to choose just one as being the baddest. The paper mill's three owners were the masterminds behind the list. However, their security hires are the folks who do the dirty work concerning the list. I am not going to be a spoiler but you may be able to determine what the list is from the review I've given.

The List is spellbinding. You simply must read this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

All The Words We Know

I selected this book for the Key Word Reading Challenge. August has the word "word" as one of the six options in a book title. It is a suspense novel by Bruce Nash who has written three books. Words is the first book of his to be published in the United States.

The publisher's summary:

Rose may be in her eighties and suffering from dementia, but she’s not done with life just yet. Alternately sharp as a tack and spectacularly forgetful, she spends her days roaming the corridors of her assisted living facility, musing on the staff and residents, and enduring visits form her emotionally distant children and granddaughters. But when her friend is found dead after an apparent fall from a window, Rose embarks on an eccentric and determined investigation to discover the truth and uncover all manner of secrets…even some from her own past.

The story is not what I expected.  The publisher's summary indicates that Rose investigates the death of a friend who lives in a nearby room in their assisted living facility. It's not like investigations we see in murder mysteries. Rose has severe dementia. She mispronounces almost every word and understands nothing. However, when her friend who uses a wheelchair dies after jumping out of her window onto the parking lot, she knows that's impossible. Her friend could not walk on her own. A few days later Rose sees a nurse enter another person's room with a pillow. The next morning this person is found to have died in their sleep. She now knows how her friend died. Rose uses the diary given to her to keep track of events to secretly write down the clues she discovers.  It seems that when patients run out of money that the "angry nurse" comes by with a pillow and that patient dies "in their sleep."  That this happens is not surprising to me.

The author did a good job of describing how people with dementia behave and speak. However, he went too far. The book wasn't readable with all of the babbling. It became annoying after a few chapters. The more I have thought about it, the more it seems condescending and not funny as the author intended. On top of that Rose's investigation began more than halfway after the first chapter. That is way too late for a mystery.

Words was a disappointment. The premise of an assisted living resident solving a murder was interesting which is why I picked the book to read. No rating. 

The Patchwork Players

I received an advanced review copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on April 14, 2026! It’s another entry into the Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini. This series is probably my favorite of all time so I was thrilled to get a copy of it.

The publisher's summary:

The cast of a smash TV show arrives at a quilter’s retreat for week of camaraderie and creativity that takes some surprising twists in this heartwarming new installment of Jennifer Chiaverini’s much-beloved Elm Creek Quilts series.

Acclaimed TV actress Julia Merchaud almost can’t believe her good fortune. Her beloved historical drama, A Patchwork Life, revived her career and made stars of several younger actors. But Julia’s happiness turns to dismay when she learns that the hit show will have only one more season. Can she convince everyone to stay just a little longer?

Inspiration comes after a conversation with Summer Sullivan, one of the expert quilters who helped Julia prepare for her role. When Summer confides that Elm Creek Quilt Camp is in financial trouble, Julia concocts a brilliant plan that will help the Elm Creek Quilters and herself.

Julia sets about persuading the cast and crew to join her for what she promises will be a marvelous week at a luxurious nineteenth-century mansion amid the autumnal splendor of central Pennsylvania, a creative and dynamic working vacation they’ll never forget. Secretly, she hopes the bonding experience will convince them to abandon their other plans and sign on for another few seasons. But after several joyful days of quilting and camaraderie, Julia’s scheme takes an unexpected turn. Soon she’ll have to make hard choices about which matters more—career or friendship.

I thought the beginning was slow. It was different from how earlier books in the series opened so maybe my expectations contributed to my less than ideal enjoyment of the beginning. I must admit,  though, that the information we get from those early chapters was integral to the plot. It just caught me off guard. 

When the story moved to the Elm Creek Quilters I became fully engaged. However, these scenes did not last long. The main character was not from Elm Creek Quilters but rather Julia Marchand, an actress in the A Patchwork Life TV show. There were several new characters. All of them worked with Julia on the show. There was some mystery whether the shows 6th season would be the last. Julia was the only person who wanted the show to continue. The Elm Creek Quilters scenes constituted about half of the story.

I did not feel the usual glow after finishing an Elm Creek Quilters novel. Most of the prominent characters were new. I was hoping to reconnect with the regular Elm Creek characters but they did not have much of a role. 

If you want to learn how to quilt then this book is for you. The classes that Julia’s group signed up for explained all of the basics on how to pick fabrics, including values, to sewing tips. As a lifelong quilter, I concur with their methods. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Muybridge

Muybridge is the graphic biography of Eadweard Muybridge. He was one of the earliest pioneers in photography during the nineteenth century. He is famous for his time sequence of a horse galloping. Cartoonist Guy Delisle brings this unknown photographer to life in this book.

The publisher's summary:

Sacramento, California, 1870. Pioneer photographer Eadweard Muybridge becomesentangled in railroad robber baron Leland Stanford’s delusions of grandeur. Tasked withproving Stanford’s belief that a horse’s hooves do not touch the ground while galloping atfull speed, Muybridge gets to work with his camera. In doing so, he inadvertently createsone of the single most important technological advancements of our age―the invention of time-lapse photography and the mechanical ability to capture motion.

Critically-acclaimed cartoonist Guy Delisle (Pyongyang, Hostage) returns with anotherengrossing foray into nonfiction: a biography about Eadweard Muybridge, the man whomade pictures move. Despite career breakthrough after career breakthrough, Muybridgewould only be hampered by betrayal, intrigue, and tragedy. Delisle’s keen eye for detailsthat often go unnoticed in search of a broader emotional truth brings this historical figureand those around him to life through an uncompromising lens.

Translated from the French by Helge Dascher & Rob Aspinall, Muybridge turns a spotlighton what lives in the shadow of an individual’s ambition for greatness, and proves thatEadweard Muybridge deserves to be far more than just another historical footnote.

The biography begins with Muybridge as an adult and continues until his death. He traveled to the U.S. west coast to take the first photos of Yosemite and American Indians and was known nationwide for his feats. He also traveled to Europe in order to obtain more job assignments. He married but was never home, always traveling to a photo shoot. His wife got bored and cheated on him, getting pregnant in the process. Muybridge exploded in rage when he found out. I was surprised by his anger because, after all, he could be away from home for as long as a year. 

The art work was done in black and white drawings in comic strip panels. It was cool to see Muybridge's actual photos throughout the book too. The dialogue was spot on and showed how big Muybridge's ambitions were.

I enjoyed reading about one of our early pioneers in this field. I wish, however, that Delisle would write more travelogues. I loved reading them.  5 out of 5 stars.

An Inside Job

An Inside Job is Dan Silva's 25th Gabriel Allon spy thriller. The hero, Allon, is a retired Israeli spy who now works as an art restorer in Venice. This installment of the series is an art theft thriller. Allon, however, uses associates from his spy career to solve the mystery.

The publisher's summary: 

Sometimes the only way to recover a stolen masterpiece is to steal it back . . .

Gabriel Allon has been awarded a commission to restore one of the most important paintings in Venice. But when he discovers the body of a mysterious woman floating in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon, he finds himself in a desperate race to recover a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

The painting, a portrait of a beautiful young girl, has been gathering dust in a storeroom at the Vatican Museums for more than a century, misattributed and hidden beneath a worthless picture by an unknown artist. Because no one knows that the Leonardo is there, no one notices when it disappears one night during a suspicious power outage. No one but the ruthless mobsters and moneymen behind the theft -- and the mysterious woman whom Gabriel found in a watery grave in Venice. A woman without a name. A woman without a face.

The action moves at breakneck speed from the galleries and auction houses of London to an enclave of unimaginable wealth on the French Riviera -- and, finally, to a shocking climax in St. Peter's Square, where the life of a pope hangs in the balance. An elegant and stylish journey through the dark side of the art world and the Vatican's murky finances, An Inside Job proves once again that Daniel Silva is the reigning master of international intrigue and suspense.

Silva writes intense suspense stories and An Inside Job is one of his finest. It is impossible to take a break from reading the book as each chapter ends with suspense. Silva thoroughly researched the politics of the countries involved in the story, historical facts, the art of the old masters, as well as the restoration of oil paintings before beginning to write. I learned alot about the art world from reading the book. The information about the restoration of paintings went over my head because Silva was quite technical in the description of the materials that his character Allon used.

This installment of the series had the most character development. With the spy business put aside, Allon could concentrate on his relationships with his wife and kids. It was cute to see the brash Gabriel Allon playing with his kids and even attempting to cook. He is not domestic but is growing in that regard. Wife Chiara is seen as the main breadwinner which I thought was about time. Chiara manages the art restoration business for Gabriel. 

The pace is fast from the first page but it speeds up during the final third of the book. Resolving the mystery surrounding the stolen artwork seemed similar to Allon's spy escapades. He used his connections from that part of his life to find and return the art.

An Inside Job is a fun and fast read read. Mystery lovers are going to want to read it. 5 out of 5 stars.