The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

Hubby and I are house people. We bought our first home, a townhouse, a month before we got married. Then we bought our haunted Victorian that had been divided into apartments, which we restored to single family. Next, we built a house, having fun getting the lot then picking the floor plan and finishes. We decided to do one more restoration, so we bought our current masterpiece, which is a classic craftsman. I think our next one will be a one story, it's the only thing we haven't done yet.  Anyway, I am frequently looking at real estate listings.  A couple of years ago, I saw the neatest house, well, estate in the mountains of New York.  This mansion had been empty for a long time and was in poor condition.  My husband was unimpressed with the dirty, but elaborate, woodwork, the large stable and garage both with living areas on top.  To be fair the old black slimy pool was terrifying and straight out of the movie Poltergeist.  I almost had him convinced that it would be a fun project until he saw the pictures with floating sheer white mists.  I argued it was the photographer's breath, but he refused to believe it.  He branded the house rambling with ghosts, surely hiding the worst of the Scooby Doo villains, and refused to look at it further.  To be honest, it was out of our price range, but a girl can dream. 

I recently read The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz.  This is the author's debut novel.  This is the story of several women who go on a writing retreat.  Told from the perspective of Alex, a writer who has just about given up on her dream of becoming a published author.  The retreat is sponsored by Roza Vallo, a world-famous author.  Roza has restored a huge spooky, Manderley (Rebecca) type house.  Several young women are invited but only one will be given a million-dollar publishing deal.  They must write their novel, from start to finish, during this month-long retreat.  As the young story tellers try to keep up with the pace set by Roza, tempers flare.  The stress builds and the history of the old mansion and its connection to a demon becomes front and center.  The generous host becomes even odder, making the girls play bizarre games.  Happenings start to reach a frenzied pitch and one of the girls goes missing, making everyone wonder what is really going on at the retreat.

I enjoyed this entire story idea.  The plot moved along at a nice pace, keeping me interested.  The characters were well defined but not too much, they are all possible suspects for the odd occurrences.  The writing was interesting.  Words and sentence structure was more sophisticated than is often seen in thrillers.  I loved the atmospheric setting, which became enhanced as it becomes even more isolated.  The only thing that bothered me a bit, was that the story seemed to slow slightly at the end.  Usually, the end on a high note but this story seemed to peak a bit early using more of the end to get out of predicaments and a wrap up.  Honestly, although the slow down bothered me a smidge, I cannot think of any other way it could be written.  Really, a fun read.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for this talented author.

One thing is for sure, I won't be buying any house previously owned by an author!

**I uploaded this review just a few minutes ago.  Wondering what became of that house I liked, but hubby thought was Casper's dream, I googled it.  It's being investigated by multiple paranormal teams.... darn it.  I will never hear the end of how he was right!

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

Hello everyone. I hope you are warm and safe.

Holy cow it's snowing.  Not here of course, it's 70 here.  My sisters, however, are getting loads of ice, soon to be followed by lots of snow.  To be honest, normally I'd be laughing hysterically now, but the ice freaks me out.  The whole bit about no traction on roads, it raining trees knocking power out and having no heat seems just a tiny bit dangerous. When we were kids, we did "the snow dance" which we should have patented because it was often effective in bringing snow and the desired outcome of no school the next day.  We would perch ourselves kneeling on the couch, elbows on the back looking at the street in front of our house.  The hill it sat on could predict things like whether or not you should bother doing your homework, simply by denying cars passage upward.  If cars didn't make the hill, no classes.  The time a car slid backwards down the hill hitting our mailbox...no school for two days. Yep, the snow dance and our prediction center were mystical.  Poor kids now have home schooling on bad weather days, shame you're missing out on Frosted Flakes and hours of cartoons.

I recently read The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf. This is the story of Wylie, an author, who writes about true crime.  Wylie is in a rural farmhouse working on her latest book when a horrible snow and ice storm hits.  With power and phone out, she finds herself truly alone until she finds a hurt child, outside in the storm. As Wylie tries to find out the history of this child, the reader goes back in time to learn about a terrible crime.  Twenty years earlier two people are brutally murdered, and a girl goes missing.  Gudenkauf does a great job at pulling these two timelines and stories together.  This fast-reading book is action packed and will have you bleary eyed giving up your sleep just to keep flipping pages.  If you are in the mood for a real thriller and a wild ride, this one is for you.

Get yourself a big cup of hot chocolate and the economy size eye drops for this one, you'll need it!

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Hello everyone.  I hope you enjoyed some nice holiday time.

I often tease my family here...hey, who wouldn't?  Especially if you met them, believe me, there is a lot to joke.  In fact, when we were at our first appointment for premarital counseling all those years ago, the minister asked what hubby and I saw as one of our major issues.  I said, "He thinks he's funnier."  My husband jumped in insisting that, in fact, he was the more humorous between us.  We had a lighthearted argument about it in front of the woman to marry us.  After that session she pronounced us ready to wed, even telling my mother we "would be fine" for the future. That was decades ago, and I don't know about us being "fine", but I will tell you that my husband still draws breath (for the time being), so I guess that is something.  

Seriously, my husband is a keeper.  He is strong but tender, unbelievably sweet yet equally annoying, he is way too smart when he wants to be.  Yep, he is one of the kind of men that I adore, those that are completely secure in their manhood.  They can go buy lipstick and lumber, carry heavy furniture one minute and cradle a tiny puppy the next. The kind of man that knows your pain or joy by just looking in your eyes.  I chose wisely.  Some do not.

I recently read The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.  This is the story of Caroline, whose marriage is crumbling.  She escapes to London for a break, while there Caroline discovers an old bottle from a centuries old apothecary.  Since she is interested in history, she becomes determined to find the source of the unusual glass relic.  This story is also told from back when the apothecary is still operating.  It holds many secrets, including that its mission is to sell poison for women to use against their deserving husbands.

This clever story is a joy to read.   It is hard to put down as betrayal and mystery abounds.   As the present day and past stories start to mirror each other, you'll find yourself desperate to get to the finish, not wanting the storytelling to stop but to discover answers.  The end, both surprising and satisfying, left me wanting more. This sweeping tale is a pleasure and not to be missed.

How about The Lost Tavern next?  No, no, The Lost Bookstore!

Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great day.

I often mention my sisters, I can't help it, they have been and are a huge part of my life.  But, no matter what I do, the relationship I have with them will never be what they have with each other.  They are triplets.  They have the normal sibling attachment, but there is something else...something different.  I would say it's abnormal, they would say "abbie-normal" from Young Frankenstein and then tell me I was full of bunk.  Seriously, there is a connection between them that I will never share.  Every once in a while I'll get a phone call saying they had an uneasy feeling about the other, as if someone was in trouble, and after clearing each other they check on me (gee thanks). One time my husband decided to buy a lottery ticket for the whole family, having each person give a number.  Despite living up to five hundred miles apart, they gave the same number. I've always thought this unusual link between them was a gift, now I'm not so sure.

I recently read Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell.  This is the story of two adult male twins who have shared a special connection and what happens when one of the twins dies yet the connection remains.  Such an interesting question and given my family history, I was intrigued.  This book is fiction but I'm telling you that while not to the extent portrayed in this book, the link is real.  Our Trespasses is being sold as a paranormal thriller.  I would completely agree with that and add perhaps it has a toe dipping into horror

I loved this book.  Not only did I love it, but it might be one of my all time favorites.  While the story had me engrossed it was the least this book has to offer.  The writing is wonderful.  I hate when stories tell you instead of show you, or run on about a topic, or repeat something but Michael Cordell does none of that.  He has a story to tell and he blasts through it from beginning to end.  He doesn't waste one second of the readers time, very appreciated.  In addition, the descriptions are so rich that the author transports you into the story with ease, all without being too wordy.  What I've seen done occasionally in movies but never really done well in a book is when the tension and fear is kept below the surface.  You know it's there, lurking, waiting patiently to appear but the anticipation of what is to come is kept brilliantly at bay.  When "things" happen, the story remains controlled and not over the top, making it all the creepier and really driving the story.  Mr. Cordell has sold several screenplays and I can see why.  Anything he writes, in any form, I want to see.

This book is 193 pages, yet packs more into it than many 500 page bestsellers.  Michael Cordell is an expert storyteller and if you are a lover of books you certainly don't want to miss Our Trespasses.  This is a perfect example of how all books should be written!

To buy the book, learn more about the author and publisher:

Our Trespasses: A Paranormal Thriller - Kindle edition by Cordell, Michael. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Michael Cordell – Novelist/Screenwriter (michaeljcordell.com)

TCK Publishing - Independent Fiction and Nonfiction Book Publisher

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great day.

Are you a big game player?  Video? Board?  My family loved games.  My dad loved cards, specifically Tripoley.  My mom enjoyed card games, but was also a fan of board games and she loved video games.  My mom went out and bought an Atari when they first came out.  Now my niece works for a gaming company.  We played games outside, tag, red light green light, red rover.  Stop laughing youngsters, I know I'm dating myself but you don't know how you're missing out.  We even played games in the pool.  We'd run off the diving board while someone threw us a ball.  The point was to catch it after leaving the diving board but before hitting the water.  Of course, there was the infamous Marco Polo, then the diving games where you had to retrieve things off from the bottom of the deep end.  No we didn't throw chairs in, there were real, weighted game pieces made for pools.  I feel a bit like Dorothy telling the scarecrow he was her favorite, as I think of all our games our absolute favorite was cannonballing my mom who was floating around the pool reading a book.  We would send tremendous splashes of water over her sunglasses and soaking the pages of her novel.  She got even, she started buying thin little romance novels, second hand for a nickel so she didn't care about our antics.  Spoil sport.

I recently read Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney.  This book is a domestic psychological thriller.  The story is about a married couple that go away for a trip to try and save their marriage..  The wife writes a letter to her husband every year on their anniversary and never lets him read it, until now.  I can't say anything else.  First of all, after finishing it I immediately demanded my husband read it and he's smack in the middle.  Also, I guess I wouldn't want to ruin it for you either (read like Eeyore).  Kidding, but seriously, this book is a wow.  It has a huge twist and I want you to be very surprised.  It's full of atmosphere, unlikeable characters, and questions galore.  It is quite the thriller.  The twist was so massive I was smiling for an hour that the author "got me", I never saw it coming.  Neither will you.  This book is not a game, it's the real thing.  Read it, you won't be disappointed.

Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

Hello everyone.  I hope you are enjoying your day.

When you got married did you have a nice honeymoon?  My sister went to one of those islands...one of the "amas" or "ini" places off the coast of Florida.  I can't remember where but I'm certain she had a nice time.  For me, I got one night in Scranton, PA.  Now if you're from Pennsylvania don't get your drawers in a twist.  I love the state, lots of my family came from PA.  However, as far as exotic, seductive locales go, the Hilton in Scranton doesn't exactly blow up your skirt.  Okay, between us buddies, it was cool.  It was an old train station that we got to explore, but as far as brag-ability it isn't great.  "Oh so your sister went to the islands.  Where did you go? One night in Scranton???"  Hubby said not to tell you this story lest you think he's cheap.  In his defense, we purchased our first house thirty days before our wedding and we used our honeymoon money for a down payment.  But if he asks, yes, I think he's cheap and owes me a trip to Europe at the minimum!

I recently read Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson.  This is the story of Abigail and Bruce. They are getting married.  First Abigail is attending her shower, only not the kind where you get a toaster, the kind where you and your friends go to a resort. While at this resort, Abigail meets another man who wonders if she loves her husband-to-be as much as she thinks she does, especially after she sleeps with him.  Of course, once home and during the final preparations for the wedding, she tells Bruce nothing about what happened on the trip.  Panic sets in when she sees the man she slept with and when he starts emailing her.  She kindly refuses his advances and proceeds with the wedding.  After the nuptials, Bruce whisks his new bride away for a lovely honeymoon, but guess who shows up? Oh yes, it's deliciously evil.  If you want more, you'll have to read it.  This book has got great pacing and an even better setting.  Lots of fun with this story and a nice escape!

After reading Every Vow You Break I'm a little more grateful for my single night in Scranton, but I'm gonna tell people it was Scranton, France.

The Shadows by Alex North

Hello everyone.  I hope you are all well.  It occurred to me that despite this being a housewife's blog, I've never actually given out any recipes.  Frankly, most of them it takes me a while to develop so I guard my secrets.  I'll include an easy, well-known recipe today but will put it at the bottom so you that don't speak "kitchen" can avoid it.

I've been reading up a storm and have many books to tell you about.  Today I want to talk about The Shadows by Alex North. If that author's name rings a bell you're not crazy.  Well, you very well may be a loon but you like books, so it doesn't matter. Anyway, awhile ago I received an advanced copy of The Whisper Man, by Alex North. When I opened the package the book came in, it started to sing a creepy song.  After such an unusual introduction to Mr. North and really enjoying The Whisper Man, I was very excited to read The Shadows.  The two books are very different. I viewed The Whisper Man as a true thriller. I always had that creepy "the call is coming from inside the house" feeling....you know like something is about to jump out of your closet at a moments notice. The Shadows is much more of a slow burn. The book has an elaborate story and the feeling is very dark and atmospheric.  Hubby repeatedly asked me if I liked it, I kept saying it was the "Eeyore" of settings in an Alex North kind of way....eerie and unsettling. Still you can't stop flipping pages.  It's about kids that were into lucid dreaming and the evil things those young men used it to accomplish.  Years have passed but now those acts, murders to be specific, are happening again. Is it somehow one of those young men now twenty-five years later or a copy cat? The story is unusual, creative and certainly enthralling.  The characters are interesting and well defined. In addition to a plot I obviously enjoyed, let me pause to take a moment to praise the writing. An interesting story could easily grab my attention without great writing, but in this case the reader is treated to both making the journey to the exciting end all the better.  A very unnerving novel, one you don't want to miss.

On to the recipe:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

you need:
one boxed spice cake mix
one can of pumpkin, 15 ounces (plain pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all together.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Makes 14 muffins.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Additional thoughts:

You may think these won't mix together without some other kind of moisture but they do! 

I use paper muffin liners.

You can add more or less chocolate or change the variety. I usually use dark chocolate chips as it's bold flavor seems to stand up better to the spice and pumpkin.

I often throw in a couple handfuls of cinnamon chips, if I have them.  You could use cinnamon chips and no chocolate.

My sister loves these muffins without anything but cake mix and pumpkin and she puts them in mini muffin pans (adjust cooking time downward).

They would make great cupcakes. Leave out the chocolate chips and instead add a buttercream or cream cheese frosting.  You could even put a bit of cinnamon in the frosting to make it nice and fall-ish. 

Experiment with what your family likes, these are a great place to start and are very forgiving.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins would be perfect while reading the disturbing and oh so good, The Shadows!

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Hello everyone.

I hope you have been having a good week. If you are in the US you are likely braving some really cold weather. Usually cold for this time of year. We've even had snow in coastal North Carolina.. At least we made it until November before turning on the heat. Yes, I know, I am a miser, but hey I need book buying money! Did you see the clouds in the sky part earlier this week? See rays of angelic light shine down in my direction? No, well you missed it! Our hurricane Dorian damage is finally fixed and first floor roofs are complete. Naturally, we are supposed to have a nor'easter today with hurricane force winds again but I'm ignoring it and basking in the end of construction! I was nervous about the whole thing, I can tell because when I am nervous I read more. This week I received and read (in three days, fast for me) a great book.

I just read The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. I really loved it. I've read several books by this author and have enjoyed them all but this is my favorite, by far. If you read the jacket description, you'll be easily drawn in. This book takes place in three settings and, of course, they all become tied together. A woman, Libby, inherits a house from her birth parents. She knows nothing about them or her early beginnings but is shocked when the house is very valuable despite being in disrepair. At the same time, the reader follows Lucy and her small children, who are all homeless. We learn that Lucy also has ties to the same house. Hmmmm, unusual, an empty mansion and someone that is homeless. Odd.  Lastly, the story travels to more than twenty-five years in the past, told from the perspective of Henry, one of the boys living in the mansion. As the timelines and people move toward each other, mysteries abound.

This book grabs you from the beginning. It features short chapters, which I love. If one area of the story is slower, building details, another will be rocketing forward to leave you on a cliff hanger, a writing trick that keeps me reading. While I would not really consider this a high action thriller, it is very much a page turner. I think you will find it a very quick read. The characters are interesting, likable and are able to really carry this story although The Family Upstairs is chock full of atmosphere. Every time I had a question, thinking I caught the author with a problem, that question was immediately answered as Lisa Jewell well anticipated my concerns. In addition, each time I thought I had the whole novel figured out I was quickly proven wrong. I declared my theory so many times to hubby, holding the book high in the air, he thinks I'm playing King Arthur wielding my sword. I was wrong, pleasantly so. I was left guessing until the last page. I love that, it makes me feel like I am squeezing every penny from my reading dollar.

If you want an action packed thriller, this may not be for you. If you like mysteries or just generally interesting stories this does not disappoint. While nothing like it, this book is so rich in atmosphere it kind of reminds me of Ruth Ware's The Death of Mrs. Westaway. If you are not a Ruth Ware fan, rest assured these books are not even similar in writing style or tale, just creepy vibe.

As a friendly reminder, the holidays are coming and books are super easy to wrap. The Family Upstairs would make a great gift, unless you're about to inherit a boarded up creepy mansion, in that case...happy shopping.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Hello everyone.

I don't know how my parents managed. How could they take care of a three year old child and have newborn triplets? If you knew my sisters you'd know that it is an even bigger feat than you think!  I'm not saying they were, and continue to be, a pain but....  Anyway, I remember my parents each sitting at one end of the sofa, with me sitting on the floor watching tv. They were each giving a child a bottle and the third was sitting, leaning against me, with my arms wrapped around her so she couldn't fall over. I am still not sure how my mother coped when my dad was at work, three cribs lined up in one bedroom with screaming, I mean delightful, babies wanting attention. Since both sets of grandparents were local, I suspect my grandmothers were the key. Otherwise, a nanny would have been a huge help.

I just read The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. This is the story of a young nanny who works for a family in a remote "smart house" in the Scottish Highlands. The homeowners and parents of four children have to go out of town immediately after the nanny, Rowan, is hired, leaving her to figure out the electronic gizmos and the often unruly children. As the house begins to have a mind of its own, with unexplainable things happening, the reader becomes entranced in the story.  Add into the mix a dark history for the isolated house along with the legend of ghosts, and the story is off and running in true Ruth Ware form.

This book is full of mood and description without being wordy. It puts you firmly into this bizarre home, feeling everything from the terror of things going bump in the night, to the cold of the Scottish evenings.  As usual the author stays on topic, with a strong plot drawing the reader in deeper and deeper into the story until it is impossible not to read to the unforgettable end.  As I said with The Death of Mrs. Westaway (June 2, 2018), I've read all of Ruth Ware's books and each one is better than the last, leaving me to wonder what she will do next.

Be forewarned, if you read this, you may well chuck your electronic assistant (Alexa) into the trash.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a complex, lengthy, weird, and an odd book. It's also: mesmerizing, brilliant, character rich, has a perfect setting in a creepy old mansion alone in the woods. The atmosphere is moody and rich, making the pages come to life. This book is filled with twists and turns. It is amazing and despite being over 400 pages I would still read more!
No spoilers, but the story follows a character that must solve a murder and moves within the bodies of the different characters to see things from their perspective. Now while I'm not a fan of fantasy, I still loved this book. I really am at a loss to describe this story. It is like Groundhog Day, meets Sherlock Holmes, meets The Death of Mrs. Westaway. The story is so involved with many characters and people moving within those bodies, it seems a bit confusing in the beginning. The reader soon learns about each character, loving some, disliking others. In addition, it has a satisfying ending (which I always appreciate). I am amazed at the work that went into this book, I think it might have been easier to solve a real murder than write this novel. If you are a mystery lover, what are you waiting for...get it now! 

This review was originally written for BookishFirst, a very fun web site. Many thanks to BookishFirst and the publisher Source Books for an advanced reader copy of this book. In addition, huge thanks to the author, Stuart Turton, for writing such a great story. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle will be released September 18th and is available for preorder.