April 2022 Book Pick: The Weight of Living

The search to find the name and home of a barefoot young girl wearing a tank top and shorts on a cold March night leads Ironton, N.J., Detective Frank Nagler down the twisting, dark path of a family whose history has ensnared many victims, including a nun from Nagler’s youth and Calista Knox, a companion of Nagler’s best friend.

The third Frank Nagler Mystery, The Weight of Living, brings Nagler and his friends dangerously face to face with an evil that knows no bounds and threatens to consume anyone in its path.

It is a story with twists and turns as Nagler fights through layers of lies and half-truths and searches a sketchy past to bring the chance of healing to the damaged, and a criminal to justice.

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February Book Pick: The Anthropocene Reviewed

The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar.

Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity. As a species, we are both far too powerful and not nearly powerful enough, a paradox that came into sharp focus as we faced a global pandemic that both separated us and bound us together.

John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world.

Excerpt from “Soul Search” by Reyna Favis

An expanded scene from the first book in the Zackie Story series, SOUL SEARCH…

I found my new mentor sitting with Zackie on the stone wall outside the old Methodist church. Zackie stared at me, her long hound face dominated by a pair of bored eyes. Cam held her lead loosely in his hand, barely in compliance with the leash laws. In contrast to my mood, they looked relaxed and comfortable beneath the budding branches of an old oak tree. The soft, filtered light made silver highlights in Cam’s unruly, gray mop and warmed the russet color in Zackie’s coat. It was late afternoon and I had timed my arrival in Hope Township to make sure they would get there first. Hospitals, cemeteries, and historic buildings are places I avoid. There are too many dead, and I can easily be overwhelmed.

Cam looked me over. “Ready, Fia?”

Continue reading “Excerpt from “Soul Search” by Reyna Favis”

2022 New Year Book Giveaway

Sign up for a chance to win your choice of the books shown above: Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March, The Straight Spouse: A Memoir by Vivian Fransen or The Witch of Zal by Kerry Gans. When you sign up for a free subscription to Book Lovers Dispatch, you also become eligible for future giveaways as well. (Deadline is January 15, 2022, Midnight.)

2021 Autumn Book Giveaway

Sign up for a chance to win your choice of the books shown above: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, The Weight of Living by Michael Stephen Daigle or Phoenix n the Middle of the Road by J.R. Bale. When you sign up for a free subscription to Book Lovers Dispatch, you also become eligible for future giveaways as well. (Deadline is October 31, 2021, Midnight.)

 

New Providence Book Festival is Here!


The New Providence Book Festival is set for Saturday, September 18th., 9AM – 3PM, on the grounds of the Salt Box Museum at 1350 Springfield Avenue, New Providence, NJ 07974

Here’s the speaker schedule:

10:00 AM – Children’s Story Hour
● Angela LaCarrubba, Dancing with the Truth
● Nadja Springer, The Big Adventures of a Little Tree
● JoAnn Jackovino, The Tale of Benjamin Bulldog: Be a Buddy, Not a Bully

11:00 AM – Nev March, Murder in Old Bombay
“Solving a Real-World Mystery: Our memories contain more than we know.”
Nev March will share how she took her fascination with an 1890s murder and turned it into a mystery novel, Murder in Old Bombay. This made her the first Indian-born writer to win the Mystery Writers of America Award for First Crime Novel.

12:00 Noon – Sarajane Giere, My Pilot
Sarajane Giere offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a military wife as she tells how she brought the story of her fighter pilot husband, Bernie, to life in her memoir, My Pilot.

1:00 PM – The Road to Becoming an Author
Authors D.M. Barr, Ann Frommer & Charles Levin with share their journeys to authorship in a panel discussion.

All programs will take place on the grounds of the Salt Box Museum at 1350 Springfield Avenue, New Providence, NJ 07974. Other authors will be on site, signing their books for avid readers. The full list of signing authors includes: J.R. Bale, D.M. Barr, Linda Barth, Michael Daigle, Ann Frommer, Sarajane Giere, JoAnn Jackovino, Angela La Carrubba, Charles Levin, Neil MacNeill, Nev March, Elissa Matthews, Bob Mayers, Linda Raedisch and Nadja Springer.

 

Authors Grove in Belvidere, NJ

Ten authors will be signing books and speaking with readers at the Authors Grove, which is part of the Belvidere Heritage Day celebration on Saturday, September 11, 2021. The Authors Grove, an open-air event, will be located in Garret Wall Park at the center of picturesque Belvidere, NJ. Attending authors include J.R. Bale, Michael Stephen Daigle, Reyna Favis, Sarajane Giere, Renny Hodgskin, Nev March, Elissa Matthews, DJ Murphy and Eleanor Wagner. In addition to the Authors Grove, Belvidere Heritage Day will be hosting an antique car show, a plein air painting contest, numerous craft vendors, musical entertainment and various food vendors. Learn more about Belvidere Heritage Day at www.belvidereheritage.com.

Book Launch: “Middlebrook”

Bob Mayers has just launched his sixth book on the American Revolution. This one specifically covers the lesser-known, yet vital Middlebrook encampment. The title, Middlebrook, the Revolutionary War Encampment that Saved America, seems to surprising in the light or Valley Forge and Jockey Hollow, but Mayers explains in detail why this location was so vital at the time. The highlands and surrounding valleys of this natural fortress were the location of two major encampments of Washington’s Continental Army—a harrowing seven weeks during the early summer of 1777, and during the entire winter of 1778-1779.

Bob Mayers explains how these campgrounds served as the center of operations for American forces through much of the war and during many of its darkest hours. Most significant is that at Middlebrook, where during the winter of 1778-1779 the raw American Army matured into a cohesive fighting power capable of defeating the British forces, who were regarded at the time as the best trained and equipped army in the world. 

To learn more, visit www.RevolutionaryDetective.com.