First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"I have a lot of opinions and I come by them honestly. From an early age, I watched my mother confidently expressing her opinions with wit and intellect. She always stood her ground and was unapologetic about her beliefs."

~ Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business by Roxane Gay

Lit Tidbits: Pithy Picks XIII

Hey, Bookhearts! Pithy Picks are a bookish meme created to help you quickly find books that are worth your time and coins. Just read the pithy review below!

Title: How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill

Edited by: Jericho Brown
Published: July 2023
Pithy Review: This is a nonfiction book by Black writers for Black writers. Have a paper or digital notebook and highlighter ready to use. The essays from over 30 Black writers provide encouragement, examples, templates and lessons. Despite the title, it is more of a guide and personal workshop than a how-to book on writing. Diverse voices such as Nikki Giovanni, Jacqueline Woodson, Tayari Jones, and Angela Flournoy together in one book for $12.99. Worth every copper coin. Seriously, buy it now. 
Quote: "A good grammarian knows how to write polyrhythmically." ~ 3%
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Too Late
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: June 2023
Pithy Review: This novel is labeled CoHo's darkest romantic thriller. Sloan is caught up financially and emotionally with the notorious drug trafficker Asa Jackson. Knowing she is in dire straits and dependent on him, Asa develops a dangerous, disturbing obsession with Sloan. When undercover DEA agent Carter enters the picture, Sloan feels safe and an immediate attraction. But they have to find a way out of this dangerous situation before it's too late. There's sex (sometimes forced), a dash of romance and character un-development. It was okay despite the definitive edition having an epilogue to the epilogue to the epilogue.
Quote: "Love shouldn't feel like added weight. It should make you feel as light as air." ~ 75%
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️

Title: A Night to Remember
Author: Walter Lord
Published: January 2005
Pithy Review: Everyone knows how the world's largest, most glamorous, ship sank after colliding with an iceberg. In less than 200 pages, Walter Lord retells the history of the Titanic wreckage, its passengers and few survivors, and a vivid retelling of the night to remember. A very informative, gripping read for history buffs.
Quote: "God himself could not sink this ship." ~ 19%
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: There's No Coming Back from This
Author: Ann Garvin
Published: August 2023
Pithy Review: Single mother Poppy is on the verge of losing her home when her accountant runs off with her life savings and she's forced to file bankruptcy. An old flame offers her a job on a Hollywood movie set in wardrobe. Poppy is new to this world of movie stardom, iconic costumes and back-lot intrigue. Though she was quite immature for her 50-something age, it's chick lit level funny only worth the Amazon First Reads/Kindle Unlimited download.
Quote: "I wanted to hold on to this moment, but there was no speed limit for life, no brakes at all." ~ 12%
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️

Holmes, Marple & Poe

"Fear was incomplete knowledge." ~ pg. 97

Holmes, Miss Marple and Poe Investigations is open for business. The three private investigators with untraceable pasts keep their identity secret as they take on cases no one else can touch. NYPD Detective Helene Gray is on a mission to unmask them in a solo investigation as they make headlines. 

We know very little. Brendon Holmes—The Brain—is a science-minded sleuth with a keen sense of smell. Miss Margaret Marple—The Eyes—is a charming snoop who works best undercover. Auguste Poe—The Muscle—is a weapons expert with a weakness for cars and women. Even as readers, we are kept in the dark about the main characters named after the famous Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, Agatha Christie and Edgar Allen Poe. Masterfully done!

"Murder brings out the bitch in me." ~ pg. 38

There are multiple mysteries within this new novel: art theft, kidnappings and an unsolved murder from 1954. As a reader that is easily lost in multiple points of view, I surprisingly kept up with the fast pace and storylines. It grabbed me from the first page and still hasn't let go as I write this review four (4) months later. Who are these people?! Where did they come from?! And where have they been all my fiction-loving life?!

Every new release of Patterson's is the best this, the greatest that. I've come to ignore the overhyped blurbs. But in this case (pun intended), Holmes, Marple & Poe really are "the greatest crime-solving team of the twenty-first century." The chemistry among the partners is strongly felt through the pages. Their minds are constantly analyzing clues, thinking steps ahead. Their intuition is not ignored. Their skill is unmatched. They are perfect in the media. And most of all, all three are lovable, realistically flawed characters!

"Two truths and a lie." ~ 91%

It is unconfirmed whether Patterson will make Holmes, Marple & Poe into a series, but consider this review as my plea. Please bring this mysterious trio back. I have unanswered questions around their identity, history and what brought them together. There is a story brewing underneath this novel that is yet to be told. You heard it here first: Holmes, Marple & Poe is next year's best mystery!

Happy Early Pub Day, James Patterson and Brian Sitts! Holmes, Marple & Poe will be available Monday, January 8, 2024. 

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Holmes, Marple & Poe
Author: James Patterson and Brian Sitts
Published: January 2024
Pages: 352
Edition: Galley
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Sweetness in the Skin

"Yuh auntie...she love you bad bad." ~ pg. 265

Pumkin Patterson is a 13-year-old girl living in Kingston, Jamaica, with her grandmother, Aunt Sophie and mother Paulette. When Sophie is offered the chance to move to France for work, she moves and promises to send for her niece in one year.

But like it so often happens when plans are made, wrenches are thrown. The grandmother dies so Pumkin is left alone with her negative-minded mother. Determined to raise money for the French school entrance exam, Pumkin starts selling baked goods against school policy. Her future is at risk when the school and her mother find out.

"And it feels like someone scooped out the last bit of ice cream from the tub, the last bit of hope being scraped out of my gut." ~ pg. 263

The best part of Sweetness in the Skin were the food references. It is as much of a foodie love story as it is a coming-of-age story. I found myself looking forward to the L'Ecole days to see what dish or dessert would be prepared. My mouth watered over the description of baked goods, especially coconut cake. I even tried preparing pork chops as described with salt, pepper, cinnamon and simmering on a low fire. They indeed fell off the bone!

I always worry about reading books set in the islands because of the language. It is usually hard for me to decipher but I was able to read Pumkin's story without interruption. The only parts I struggled through were when Pumkin's mom talked but I didn't like her much anyway. She was the character I loved to hate.

For a debut novel, Ishi Robinson nailed it! Sweetness in the Skin is funny and heartwarming about a young girl baking her way to the opportunity of a lifetime. Highly recommend adding to your wish list of books to read next year.

Happy Early Pub Day, Ishi Robinson! Sweetness in the Skin will be available Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Sweetness in the Skin
Author: Ishi Robinson
Published: April 2024
Pages: 280
Edition: Galley
Genre: Multicultural Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: The Secret

(Jack Reacher #28) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is The Secret, the 28th book in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child and Andrew Child. Eight upstanding people have been found dead across the United States. It is not until a victim takes a fatal fall from a hospital window that a connection is loosely made. The Secretary of Defense organizes a task force and enlists the help of Jack Reacher.

We all know Jack Reacher is an exceptional soldier. He is strong, dominating, intuitive, a sharp shooter and skilled. He races to find the killer and link between the deaths before moving into the dangerous line of sight. The best part of The Secret is knowing that Reacher will get the mission done like no one else can.

"Shoot her and your father's story will never be told." ~ pg .214

It's not uncommon for a long-standing series to drift off. The Jack Reacher series has almost 30 books so my expectations are not as high as the first few books in the series. But I still expect some type of plot to hold my interest. Where is the suspense? Where is the character development? Where is the originality? 

I am disappointed but not enough to stop reading the Jack Reacher series. I will continue reading the earlier books that are more compelling. Loyal Reacher readers and those watching the TV adaptation may be interested in The Secret. 

The Secret is available now.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The Secret

Author: Lee Child and Andrew Child

Published: October 2023

Pages: 237

Edition: Galley

Genre: Mystery

Challenge: Perpetual Jack Reacher

Rating: 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"As a little girl I walked for hours alone in the silent woods behind my house in Louisiana, singing songs. Being outside gave me a sense of aliveness and danger."

~ The Woman in Me by Britney Spears 

A Bookheart Thanksgiving

Make it a Bookheart Thanksgiving! Give the gift of a Kindle device, eBook or Unlimited subscription!