Beta Reading, Cover Reveal, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Kindle Unlimited

Cover Reveal: An Echo in Time, by Boo Walker

Kristie

Yesterday, author Boo Walker revealed the cover for his upcoming book, An Echo in Time! He has worked extremely hard on this novel and I feel honored to have been able to contribute a few ideas as a beta reader and give feedback on cover prototypes. I’m thrilled with how beautiful the cover turned out! It reflects the story perfectly.

An Echo in Time will be released on August 20th of this year. You can preorder it now on Amazon (the ebook is only $4.99) and it will be available on Kindle Unlimited if you are a subscriber. For those who are signed up on NetGalley, the arcs should be there some time in April.

This has been a fascinating journey for me as a first-time beta reader, and I could not be more fortunate to work with an author who is so generous, encouraging, and open to ideas. I’m aware of at least three other projects he’s currently working on, one of which I hope to see in a few short weeks.

I will have more updates on An Echo in Time in the future, so stay tuned!

Fiction, Kindle Unlimited, Women's Fiction

The Collected Regrets of Clover, by Mikki Brammer

Kristie

This book. This marvelous book. Have you ever read a book and want to be friends with the main character? To give them hugs and reassurance? To remind them of the good in their lives? To be there to listen when they are feeling low? That is how I feel about Clover Brooks in The Collected Regrets of Clover, by Mikki Brammer. She is, in my mind, the perfect example of a sympathetic character. One whose pain you feel, who you want to see grow, and someone for whom you desire a happy ending.

She is the essence and life blood of this book. Which is ironic, considering her career choice, because Clover is a death doula. She describes it as someone privileged to help a person in their final days or weeks, to assist them in finding closure, and to prevent them from being alone when they take their last breath. Clover loves her job and takes it seriously, meticulously documenting her clients’ final words and categorizing them into advice, confessions, and regrets.

But just as the cobbler’s children have no shoes, Clover lacks closure and intimacy in her own life. She’s content with her own company, never dates, and her only friend is an elderly neighbor. Like many introverts, she lives in her head. She creates relationships in her imagination, looks for societal patterns, observes but doesn’t participate.

We meet Clover when her life is at a crossroads. After thirty six years of living a certain way, she is given new options. New people enter her orbit and she can either engage with them or not. Watching her navigate the prospect of friendships, something that seems so basic, is like watching a baby take her first steps. There is caution, stumbles, and hope.

Amazingly, this is a debut novel by Australian author Mikki Brammer. Filled with philosophy and metaphors on life, learning, living, and death, I found myself constantly underlining, pondering, rereading, and admiring all the elements of this story that weave together so perfectly. It is a gem. I highly recommend it. (Available on Kindle Unlimited.)

9.5/10 Stars

Indie Author, Kindle Unlimited, Mystery, Quick Reviews

Quick Review: Black Bear Alibi, by J.C. Fuller

Kristie

Goodreads: 5 Stars    Blog rating: 9/10 Stars

This was a very fun murder mystery with minimal gore, almost no swearing, and eccentric characters. It’s available with a Kindle Unimited subscription. Author J.C. Fuller can be found on TikTok and Instagram and she is hilarious! Her videos are some of my favorites. I look forward to reading more in this series!

ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), Autobiography, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Reading Wrap Up, Women's Fiction

January 2024 Reading Wrap Up!

Kristie

Here it is, the sixteen books I read in January! All of the 5 star books have their own individual reviews, so be sure and check those out. Secret of the Sassafras is a reread (still loved it!) But the other 5 star books are all very highly recommended! If I had to pick my 3 favorites that you NEED to add to your TBR I would say The Women, by Kristin Hannah; One Summer in Savannah, by Terah Shelton Harris; and The Frozen River (probably my top favorite of the month,) by Ariel Lawhon.

And what about February? I have several books at the top of my list of hopeful reads for next month. I may have to interrupt my mood reading in exchange for some beta reading, but until I know for certain, here’s a short video with some that I hope to read very soon:

Fiction, Historical Fiction

The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon

Kristie

Welcome to the first book of 2024 to receive 10/10 Stars!

The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon, is getting a lot of attention right now, and if you read it, you will understand why. Set in Hallowell, Maine in 1790, a dead body is pulled from the Kennebec River. Martha Ballard, the local midwife, is asked to identify it and determine a cause of death. She is the closest thing to a doctor in their town, but she is wise and blessed with a lot of common sense. When she sees injuries that could not be from drowning, Martha determines the cause of death to be murder. Others disagree. But when the victim is identified as Joshua Burgess, a scoundrel of a man recently accused of rape, no one is sorry to hear that he’s dead.

This mystery unfolds throughout the story, but there are other issues present as well. Joshua Burgess’s supposed victim, the minister’s wife, is now pregnant, and his accomplice is a prominent man named Joseph North. Martha and her husband, Ephraim, have known North for decades, watching him become increasingly wealthy and influential. But being the town midwife also allows Martha the privilege (or curse, depending on how you look at it) of being a keeper of people’s secrets. This is a power within itself.

Everything is told through Martha’s point of view and we see her multitask with delivering babies, healing the sick, and managing her family. She frequently battles sexism and often has to keep her opinions to herself, but she is strong, passionate, and still respected by many. One of the greatest lessons she teaches is that the treatment of a person is always more important than approval, something she exemplifies again and again.

I can say, without exaggeration, that this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. A master class in storytelling. I’m excited to read more by this author.

A very worthy 10/10 stars!

Trigger warnings for this book: sexual assault (told as a memory,) death of children due to stillbirth or illness, lots of childbirth scenes, one scene of male mutilation. None of these are described graphically.

Social Media, Videos by Me

3 “Feel Good” Bookish Videos!

Kristie

This has been a week which has caused me to be both sentimental and nostalgic. Allow me to share. First, a video by audiobook narrator, Samantha Norbury. She is a booktok friend and a strong advocate for #humanvoicesonly, a plea to Audible to not use AI voices in their narrations. Last month, Samantha put out an all call for anyone and everyone to contact Audible, asking them to use human voices only. I messaged her the email I sent them, and this is her reading it in her wonderful, impassioned voice. If you want to contact Audible, please follow the thread at the bottom of her video. They need to hear from more customers!

Next is a gratitude post by my book friend, Kristy. After reading Soundtrack of Silence, Kristy and I were messaging back and forth earlier this week. She lost her hearing in 2014 and was very interested in reading it. Kristy is one of my favorite people. I wanted to send her a copy of the book, and this is her opening it up:

Kristy is the founder of a silent theater in New Jersey. She has given me some incredible book recommendations with d/Deaf and differently-abled characters. You can visit the website for her theater here: https://handsup-theatre.org/ And these are two books I’ve read based on her recommendations. Both are excellent! And both have been featured on this blog in the past.

Lastly, this is a video I made yesterday. It’s a “Thankful Thursday” video, one of the traditions on Booktok. I decided to expand the gratitude beyond just book friends. One of the things Kristy and I talked about this week is the importance of making social media videos more accessible to all. I had *just* figured out CC (Closed Captioning) on TikTok–it only took me three months–and I’ve made a promise to her to do better. That is why this video is both spoken and readable. Did I mention she was one of my favorite people?The voice you hear is mine:

Have you felt the warm fuzzy feelings of gratitude from these videos? I hope so. Happy reading! And stay warm this weekend!