Tuesday, November 24, 2020

#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #JingleAllTheWay by @debbiemacomber via @randomhouse #DebbieInsider #partner



My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#FirstLine - Everly Lancaster was ready to explode.

It is really Christmastime if you don’t read a Debbie Macomber book? I don’t think so!!! 

I love every book Macomber writes and JINGLE ALL THE WAY, was another book I adored. It was a sweet holiday read that left my heart happy! I loved going on the Amazon Explorer with Everly as she learned to let go of the stress and busyness of life in the city. She was able look to her future in a whole new way because of a special person she met on her journey! Everly had some unfortunate situations take place while on board, which forced her out of her comfort zone and into a future she never even knew she wanted or needed! Adventure, and perhaps love, is in abundance within the pages of this fantastic read! I highly recommend this book for your holiday reading!!! 

Sunday, November 22, 2020

#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #TheAssignment by @LizaWiemer via @DelacortePress

The AssignmentThe Assignment by Liza M. Wiemer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#FirstLine - Are we supposed to pretend we’re Nazis?

This book was something special. I love writers that create thought provoking books in a way that makes them relatable to readers. In these times we are facing, we need to read books that matter, books that create dialogue and books that create change. Wiemer has once again wrote a book filled with heart, fighting for what is right and being the change you wish to see in this world. The Assignment is a read that you will buzz through because you become invested immediately. I though the writing style within this book helped really convey the complexities of the characters, their perspectives and the story itself. It is a must read and one that should be required reading in school! I highly recommend this book for ALL!!! I loved it!!

View all my reviews

Saturday, November 21, 2020

#MMBBR #Review #Q&A #PERFECTLYIMPOSSIBLE by @LizTopp via #partner @IAmMBlankenship who provided a #free #reviewcopy


PERFECTLY IMPOSSIBLE

A Novel

by Elizabeth Topp


Their pictures grace the glossy pages of the city’s society bibles. Their helicopters whir over Manhattan’s skyline as they head “out East.” Their days are filled with spa appointments and their nights with charity galas. They are the denizens of New York high society, they exist to be gawked at, and admired, to be both the subject and the source of gossip, passed like hard currency from one hand to the next. Their existence unfurls as if directly from the pages of a magazine, the details unknown to them, but overseen by a small army of assistants, nannies, maids and house managers, all whose job it is to ensure they never have cause to try and furrow their heavily-Botoxed brows. In her hilarious debut novel, PERFECTLY IMPOSSIBLE (November 1, 2020; Little A hardcover; ISBN 978-1-54201-867-8; $24.95; 314 pages)Elizabeth Topp, herself a longtime private assistant in Manhattan, introduces readers to her lovable heroine Anna, a struggling artist who fuels her art, and her bank account, by acting as a personal assistant to one of Manhattan’s richest families. 

Enter the rarefied world of society doyenne Bambi Von Bismark (“Kissy” to her friends, “the Mrs.” to her employees). Watch as she travels effortlessly between her vacation home in Aspen, to her palatial Park Avenue apartment, to her Hamptons home (in the off season!) and back. Anna has been Kissy’s assistant for years, long past the time her family and friends thought she might get what they would consider a real job. And then there’s Anna’s longtime boyfriend Adrian, the inventor of an app called FoodBlast, meant to help feed the homeless, Only he has recently shuttered the nonprofit to take a job at luxury goods purveyor LVMH, which Anna can’t help but feel is a betrayal of their shared socially-conscious values. And, to her surprise, he has also started to talk wistfully about the future, when the two of them might have “adult things” like a mortgage, a baby, and a rodent-free life.

As she struggles to gain a toehold in the art world, and to decide what she wants in her personal life, Anna’s Type A personality nonetheless makes her a perfect assistant for Kissy. She’s organized and almost frighteningly efficient, with an excellent memory and an expert note-taking system that allows her to instantly find the name of “that wine we had that one time” or to talk the Von Bismark’s teenage daughter out of trying to borrow the G-7 for a weekend trip to Jamaica or to persuade the family accountant to release an emergency $10,000 to grease the palms of a few Colombian immigration officials in order to get their chef home from vacation a few days early. And Anna knows she will need all of these skills and more when her boss informs her that she’s to be honored at the social event of the season, the illustrious New York Opera Ball. Suddenly, Anna finds herself juggling this honor, which will only cost the Von Bismarks $12.4 million, trying to talk the Mrs. out of accidentally committing a tiny bit of tax fraud, and dealing with Mr. Von Bismark’s sudden and mysterious “security issues,” all while simultaneously trying to mount her very first art show.

Unfolding like an Upstairs, Downstairs for twenty-first century Manhattan society, PERFECTLY IMPOSSIBLE expertly chronicles--and hilariously skewers--the lives of the city’s elite, through the eyes of one fictional socialite and the staff, led by the plucky Anna, charged with making her life run smoothly. The book will transport readers to a world they will never want to leave, and we hope that you will assign it for review. We will reach out soon to discuss the possibilities.
Elizabeth Topp penned her first short story in the second grade and has been writing ever since. A graduate of the Dalton school, Harvard College, and the Columbia School of the Arts, Topp coauthored her first book, Vaginas: An Owners Manual, with her gynecologist mother while she worked as a private assistant, a job she still holds. Topp lives in the same Manhattan apartment from her childhood with her partner, Matthew; their daughter, Anna; and their cat Stripes.
Website: www.LizTopp.com
Twitter: @LizTopp

MY REVIEW:

#FirstLine - Park Avenue cooperatives announced their inverse relationship to reality first with the lobby's temperature.


I love this this book. It was a delight to be taken inside the world of the rich and enjoyed the human aspect of the book. We are all longing for the same things...friendship, love, connection, happiness; all of the things! It was just a really easy, fun quick read!



******************************

 

“Topp’s fizzy debut novel hilariously pulls the curtain back on what it’s like to be the assistant to an über-rich Park Avenue matron. Topp leverages her behind-the-scenes view of the Bizmarks’ milieu and Anna’s trade for some entertaining, biting satire. The author’s gifts for humor and drama make this an engaging lark.”

— Publishers Weekly

 

“Readers won't want to put down Topp's debut, which offers a peek into the world of the wild demands of the wealthiest of the wealthy. Anna struggles to stay one stiletto step ahead of the game, along with the rest of the characters who make up the Von Bizmark staff, including a distractingly fashionable second assistant and a chef who uses ingredients that are not always legal, who do all they can to keep ‘The Mrs.’ happy.”

   Booklist

 

“Readers who enjoy a glimpse into the outrageous lives of the one percent will find plenty to enjoy in the deviously decadent characters, exorbitant displays of wealth, and tongue-in-cheek humor… A fun…escape into moneyed madness.”

— Kirkus Reviews

 

 ******************************


A Conversation with Liz Topp,

Author of PERFECTLY IMPOSSIBLE

 

Q: What’s this book really “about?”  What would you like people to take away?


A: I want readers to laugh when they read this book! Out loud! A few times! When I was writing, my intention was to share the inner sanctum of a different world, but what I couldn’t have known was how much this book could serve as an escape back to a time when frivolousness was still possible. When we giggled with our multiple work colleagues, close together and wearing not masks but makeup, where money still flowed freely and we cared to attend parties with hundreds of strangers in a large room.

 

On a deeper level, many of us used to be preoccupied by the question of whether women “can have it all,” but I think it’s more interesting and relevant to wonder whether women can ‘be it all.’ In the book as in real life, the female characters play multiple roles: artist and assistant, wife and employer, housekeeper and single mom. Anna’s central question is whether she can truly be an actual artist while working as an assistant. The two roles undercut one another, which makes it difficult to fully succeed at either. Remember those endearing images of JKF in the Oval Office with Caroline and Jack underfoot? I imagine a different reaction would have met President Hilary Clinton with a diaper-clad grandchild under the Resolute Desk.  Somehow it’s never been a problem for men, but for women it can be a challenge to unify their various identities.

 

Q: How does one become a private assistant? What’s the difference between a personal and a private assistant?


A: There are specialized headhunters for big private office jobs, but like basically everything, it helps immeasurably to know someone. These seats tend to get handed down. I was bequeathed my first PA job by a friend of a friend who was leaving town. Obviously, trust is a big factor in hiring decisions and a personal connection always makes that easier to establish.

 

Since I started, I’ve seen several spin-offs of the original ‘Personal Assistant’ title  including Private Assistant, Special Assistant, and, for the really service-oriented insanely wealthy, a Chief of Staff to manage them. These jobs are bespoke: as varied in the critical details as the employers themselves, but with a significant amount of overlap. Private Assistants are a shade more intimate than Personal Assistants; an employer used to say, “We have no secrets, you and I.” A Special Assistant is just as the name implies: perhaps someone who only handles gifts, travel, or events within a family office. I once interviewed for a job where the only tasks were to purchase presents for the employers’ associates and ensure he had all the DVDs he wanted in the right house for the weekend. 15 years ago the starting annual salary for that seat was $90,000.

 

Q: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened on the job?


A: Years ago, I joined an organization called New York Celebrity Private Assistants, mostly to trade gossip. I imagined I had found a group of people with whom I could speak freely given our common sense of understanding and confidentiality, as well as a shared interest in the private details of famous peoples’ lives. But once I got there, I discovered that it’s not just that no one talks about fight club outside of fight club--no one was going to fight either.

 

I can share a story from my first post, because it was my employer’s favorite too. I was young—it was my first job! Every home office of significance tends to have some old-school contact management system. Whatever is current now, rewind two decades. Anyway, my employer was doing a show in New York and wanted to invite Bob Kerrey, President at that time of the New School. So I called up Kerrey’s office and someone eagerly took down all the details.

 

I was in a cab headed downtown when my (first-ever) cell phone rang, and my employer said, “Hey there, couldn’t help but notice that you left the database up on your screen and it looks like you called John Kerry. You didn’t call John Kerry, who is running for President, and invite him to my show on Super Tuesday did you? Because that would make me look a little silly.”

 

But I had done exactly that!  “See, Liz,” my employer patiently explained, “Not only will John Kerry not come to my show, but now he will call me and I will have to fly out to somewhere hugely inconvenient and stump for him.” And he did!

 

Q: It’s popular to vilify the rich but you seem to come out at the other extreme. What do you think about excessive wealth and growing income disparities?


A: It’s lazy to villainize any one group of people. I believe the rich act the same way any random group of people given a ton of money would behave, particularly once they realize how much everyone they come in contact with including friends and family want then to get their hands on their newfound fortune. It’s true that rich people don’t like paying taxes—who does?

 

However, the super wealthy need to pay a lot more taxes and as a society we have to do more to get more people moving up the socioeconomic ladder. Not enough voters agree with me to make that a reality, but maybe the pandemic will change that. The last gilded age resulted in labor unions, as well as some glorious relics. Will we one day tour the great estates of Southampton the way we visit the Gold Coast of Long Island’s landmarked homes today?

 

Q: Characters wonder throughout, if the very wealthy are just like the rest of us. Are they?


A: The vast majority of rich people—those who have earned at least some of their money through work, who have at least one or two straight-talkers in their midst, and who have some sense of purpose in life, no matter how vague—are like the rest of us.

 

The generationally mega rich who won’t have a concern about money for a century… No, of course they are not like us because they assume everyone is mostly interested in their money (and they are mostly right), they cannot share many of our most common preoccupations, and the angst they do experience is unique. I met the son of a scion who was just completely incapacitated by the limitlessness of his options. It seems dreamy to have every door open to you, and yet no matter which road he walked down, he’d never be as successful as his father. And it made him sad in a way I could never understand.  As an employer of mine loved to remark, “The very rich are very odd.”

 

Q: This book already seems to represent a very different time than the one we are currently living through. How do you see ‘high society’ adapting to new realities?

 

A: First let me say, I have no idea. I suspect we’re about to bear witness to a great global reorganization that will fundamentally alter our world in ways we cannot anticipate. Will philanthropy continue on as the main revenue engine for American cultural institutions or will we shift to a more socialist European model? Will that make large splashy fundraising galas not only undesirable from a health standpoint but unnecessary from a financial one? Maybe!

 

It’s hard to imagine returning to a world in which immense, indoor social gatherings are as commonplace as they used to be. Still, high society will always and forever exist no matter if or how we try to stamp it out and they will continue to congregate. Perhaps instead of black-tie balls, the chicest parties will all be highly selective unmasked gatherings where all the attendees are screened for infections on the spot. In addition to private planes, perhaps we’ll start seeing entire sterilized VIP international airports. Personal staff will be selected for their antibodies instead of their experience. I imagine in the long run the lifestyles of the rich and famous will shift very little, but rest assured they will feel all these changes as tremendously painful inconveniences. In that way, we are all alike.


Friday, November 20, 2020

#MMBBR #CoverReveal #debbiemacomber #itsbetterthisway by @debbiemacomber via @randomhouse

COVER REVEAL! 

Dreaming of warmer days and counting down to the release of #1 bestselling author @DebbieMacomber’s next novel, IT’S BETTER THIS WAY, coming 7/13/21! 

 Get ready to embrace the magic of new beginnings. 

Synopsis:

After divorce shatters her family, one woman's struggle to pick up the pieces finally leads to a new beginning--but is the past truly behind her? #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber explores the powerful intersections of love and family in this poignant novel.

 

It's been nearly six years since Julia Jones had her heart broken. After her husband became involved with another woman, she did everything she could to save their marriage, to no avail. Their two daughters continue to stand by Julia in the wake of their father's behavior--and they've had a tough time getting along with the "other woman" who became their stepmother. Distraught after selling the family home, Julia moved into a condominium complex that offers the warmth and charm of a fresh start. Now, having settled into her new community and sold her successful interior design business, she's embraced a fulfilling new life, one that doesn't seem to need a man in it. Her beloved father's trusty saying is ringing truer than ever: It's better this way.

 

But when Julia meets a handsome new resident in the building's exercise room, she can't help but be drawn to him. Heath Johnson is a welcome change from the men she's encountered on the occasional--mostly disastrous--dates her sister has eagerly planned for her over the years. As she and Heath, a divorcé himself, begin to grow close, their friendship blossoms into a love neither of them had expected. However, they soon realize that combining families, even with four adult children, presents inevitable challenges.

 

When a dramatic revelation threatens the happiness they've found, Julia and Heath must reconcile their love for their children with their love for each other. If they can't, their bright future together may be nothing but a dream.

Thursday, November 19, 2020

#MMBBR #TFOVSreveal #TheForestofVanishingStars by @kristinharmel #kristinharmel via #gallerybooks @GalleryBooks #historicalfiction #wwiifiction


Cover reveal! Behold THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS by New York Times bestselling author @Kristin Harmel (“a powerful and dazzling voice in historical fiction,” says NYT bestselling author Patti Callahan). Kristin’s evocative new coming-of-age World War II story will be in stores everywhere on July 6, 2021 from @Gallery Books. Mark your calendars and start planning your summer reading early. Pre-order NOW! https://bit.ly/preorderTFOVS 

#TFOVSreveal #TheForestofVanishingStars #historicalfiction #wwiifiction #kristinharmel #gallerybooks 

 


SYNOPSIS: After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything. 

 


Tuesday, November 17, 2020

#MMBBR #Review I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by @Racheldoesstuff Thanks to #partner @grandcentralpub for the free #reviewcopy

I Want To Be Where the Normal People AreI Want To Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was everything I would hope it would be...raw honesty, humor, inspiration and harsh truths. I love the show My Crazy Ex Girlfriend, so I was excited to get an early chance to read this book of stories by the crazy talented Rachel Bloom. Bloom shares her insights on growing up and life in general and does so with sheer unveiling of all her stuff....the good, bad and the extremely ugly!!! You will laugh and cry and be moved beyond measure. You will relate with her stories and find much of what she says is brave and relatable! I loved this book and this is one that I will reread!!! A MUST read!!!

View all my reviews #writers #bookblogger #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #bookaddict #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #reading #bookaholic #bookblog #instabook #readersofinstagram #booklove #bookcommunity #bookshelf #reader #instabooks #read #bookobsessed

Monday, November 16, 2020

#MMBBR #Review #TOTALLY90sCOLORINGBOOK #adultcoloring #90s Thanks to @penguinusa for the #free #reviewcopy #partner

It’s the perfect time to decompress with a coloring book—and illustrator’s Christina Haberkern’s TOTALLY 90s COLORING BOOK (out today!!!) is the newest necessary addition to every adult coloring book collection. From the ever-popular fashion accessories like scrunchies and fanny packs, to outdated but lovable tech like the Walkman and VCRs, and you know, when people had landlines—this coloring book is the perfect memento for ‘90s kids, and a fun time capsule for artists of any age. And Christina has put together her favorite 90s throwback songs for you to listen to while you color your way down memory lane with one of her favorite pages in the book!
This is simply the raddest ever coloring book. I was brought back to simpler times when looking through this outstanding book. I loved thinking back to all those awesome memories of the 90's. I cannot wait to get coloring in this book. I think I am going to surprise a few of my gal pals and send a colored sheet to strike up their memories too! A must have for those that grew up in the 90's and love coloring. This would make a GREAT Christmas gift too!

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #WeKeepTheDeadClose by #BeckyCooper Thanks to @grandcentralpub for the #reviewcopy #partner

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of SilenceWe Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So, I must say that I love true crime. I watch a lot of "murder shows". It is actually a weekly ritual with my best friend and myself to watch a murder show every Friday via Facetime. I love true crime too, I gobble it up, but as true crime/murder show lover, I also love to get to the meat and potatoes in a quick/timely fashion. I am not opposed to long books, that is not the case, but to keep my interested truly peaked throughout there needs to be a hook, a pace that fully engages me. I loved the level of research and detail in this book. It was impeccably done. You can tell Copper lived and breathed this case/book for a very, very long time. It was evident throughout, that this became more than a story to her. It was beautifully written and had a smooth flow throughout the entire case from start to finish. It was an impressive undertaking and the end result is one of sheer genius. But for me, it was a bit too long, too many details that made my interest wean. That is just my humble opinion.

View all my reviews #writers #bookblogger #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #bookaddict #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #reading #bookaholic #bookblog #instabook #readersofinstagram #booklove #bookcommunity #bookshelf #reader #instabooks #read #bookobsessed

Friday, November 6, 2020

#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #FortuneandGlory by @janetevanovich Thanks to #partner @atriabooks for the free #reviewcopy

Fortune and Glory (Stephanie Plum, #27)Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#FirstLine My name is Stephanie Plum and I'm a fugitive apprehension agent in Trenton, New Jersey.

Another great installment in the Stephanie Plum series. I enjoyed the story and the intrigue and suspense. It was a well paced story will some twists and turns. A fun read!

View all my reviews #bookblogger #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #bookaddict #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #reading #bookaholic #bookblog #instabook #readersofinstagram #booklove #bookcommunity #bookshelf #reader #instabooks #read #bookobsessed

Thursday, November 5, 2020

#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #ThePush @inkstainsclaire Thanks to #Thomas&Mercer and @Netgalley #Netgalley for the #reviewcopy #partner

The PushThe Push by Claire McGowan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#FirstLine - PROLOGUE The babies all look the same.

This book takes a look at an unlikely group of couples who have come together for a baby group. Then at a barbeque, things take a sudden turn and somebody ends up dead. After that bomb is dropped you are taken on a journey between past and present trying to figure who-done-it. I would say this is more of a mystery verse a straight up suspense novel. I enjoyed the story and was entertained.

View all my reviews

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

#MMBBR What’s in the mail....

#MMBBR #bookmail #winnerwinner 💕 📖Thanks @librarything for the #reviewcopy of #laureleverywhere by @erinmoynihan 💕 📖Thanks to @FourthEstate for the #reviewcopy of #Darling @racheledwards 💕 I cannot wait to read them. 💕 💕 💕 #books #bookstagram #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #instabook #bookaholic #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #reader #booklove #instabooks #literature #author

Monday, November 2, 2020

#MMBBR #review #FirstLine #mydarling by @AmandaRauthor thanks @Harper360 @HarperCollins for the #free #reviewcopy #partner

My DarlingMy Darling by Amanda Robson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#firstline After my last relationship, I was looking for love in all the wrong places.

What a read! This book was a crazy ride. There were so many twists and turns. I never knew quite what was going to happen. I got pulled in and read this book in one day! It was suspenseful and intriguing. There is a fine line between love and hate and you will see what happens when that line gets blurred! You will quickly be pulled into this domestic thriller and find it hard to put down.

View all my reviews

Sunday, November 1, 2020

#MMBBR #bookmail #winnerwinner Thanks @LibraryThing for the #reviewcopy #perfectlyimpossible by #ElizabethTopp

I cannot wait to read it! About the book: In this witty debut novel, Elizabeth Topp crafts a story that ventures behind the fanciful facade of Park Avenue and into the life of one lovable type A assistant. Anna’s job is simple: prevent the unexpected from happening and do everything better than perfectly. An artist at heart, Anna works a day job as a private assistant for Bambi Von Bizmark, a megarich Upper East Side matriarch who’s about to be honored at the illustrious Opera Ball. Caught between the staid world of great wealth and her unconventional life as an artist, Anna struggles with her true calling. If she’s supposed to be a painter, why is she so much more successful as a personal assistant? When her boyfriend lands a fancy new job, it throws their future as a couple into doubt and intensifies Anna’s identity crisis. All she has to do is ensure everything runs smoothly and hold herself together until the Opera Ball is over. How hard could that be? Featuring a vibrant array of characters from the powerful to the proletarian, Perfectly Impossible offers a glimpse into a world you’ll never want to leave. #books #bookstagram #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #instabook #bookaholic #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #reader #booklove #instabooks #literature #author
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