“The Clamor of Ornament” is a summer spree of a show. It intrigues. It delights. At times it thrills. But it doesn’t ever add up. And in the end it falls apart. The curators in charge—Emily King, Margaret-Anne Logan, and Duncan Tomlin—beguile with nearly 150 works. They include sixteenth-century woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer after designs […]

Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/08/18/the-clamor-of-ornament-jed-perl/

Sergio Pitol begins The Journey, a hybrid travelogue and literary chronicle, with an account of his failed attempt to write an essay about Prague, where he lived for six years in the 1980s. His plan was to describe his conversations with professors of literature, his outings to the imperial spas, his walks in the footsteps […]

Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/08/18/at-the-center-of-the-fringe-sergio-pitol/

Charles Lamb often complained of not being able to think on his own. “I dare not think, lest I [should think] wrong,” he told Dorothy Wordsworth in 1805, when his sister, Mary, disappeared once more into the local madhouse. “I am like a [fool, bere]ft of her co-operation.” The death in 1834 of Coleridge, his […]

Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/08/18/dream-child-a-life-of-charles-lamb-wilson/

There is a particular undertow of unease that comes with working all day at a desk and then playing video games at night. They are simply too similar: the glassy stare, the troublesome posture; tasks, buttons, screens. (Worse, of course, under Covid, when you might not even change rooms, or chairs, or screens.) This is, […]

Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/08/18/exhausting-all-possibilities-the-stanley-parable-winslow-yost/

“A specter is haunting America,” intones the right-wing propagandist Dinesh D’Souza. “The specter of socialism.” As he speaks, in the opening sequence of his 2020 documentary Trump Card, we are shown a dramatic montage, including a CGI fly-through of Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty has been replaced by Lenin. There’s a hammer and sickle on […]

Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/08/18/american-democratic-socialism-dorrien-kunzru/

The One Who Loves You by Pippa Grant is the first audiobook in the Tickled Pink romcom series featuring the Lightly family. First up is thirty-year-old Phoebe Lightly, who has spent her life working towards running the family empire, but all that changes when her grandmother has a near-death experience and sets Phoebe’s world on end.

The One Who Loves You
by Pippa Grant
Series: Tickled Pink #1
Narrator: Savannah Peachwood, Sebastian York
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate

Rating:
Heat Level:
Narration: 4 cups Speed: 1.3x

From USA Today bestselling author Pippa Grant comes a fabulously sharp-witted romantic comedy about a socialite’s fall from elitist grace to backcountry purgatory—and her accidental tumble into love.

If the Upper East Side had an evil twin, it would be Tickled Pink, Wisconsin. This run-down, backwoods town isn’t worthy of the footprint of my Louboutins, never mind all of me.

But when my grandmother has a near-death experience and realizes we Lightlys can’t buy our way into heaven, she relocates the family to Tickled Pink to work on improving our souls. And that’s how I trade my heiress existence for gigantic bugs, dishwater coffee, and a cranky single dad named Teague Miller.

Teague spends his days fishing, raising his spunky teenager, and after an unfortunate incident involving cheese curds, living rent-free in my head. The one thing he and I can agree on is that I don’t belong here. He’s willing to help me escape—until the unexpected happens.

I kind of like him. I might even more than like him.

But am I ready to give up the life I adored for a man I love to hate?

{
“@context”:”https://schema.org”,
“@type”:”Review”,
“datePublished”: “2022-07-25T05:00:00+00:00”,
“description”: “The One Who Loves You by Pippa Grant is the first audiobook in the Tickled Pink romcom series featuring the Lightly family. First up is thirty-year-old Phoebe Lightly, who has spent her life work”,
“publisher”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Caffeinated Reviewer” },
“url”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/%f0%9f%8e%a7-the-one-who-loves-you-by-pippa-grant.html”,
“itemReviewed”: {
“@type”: “Book”,
“name”: “The One Who Loves You “,
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Pippa Grant”,
“sameAs”: “https://pippagrant.com/” },
“isbn”: “” },
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Kimberly”,
“sameAs”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/” },
“reviewRating”: {
“@type”: “Rating”,
“ratingValue”: 4,
“bestRating”: “5”
}
}

From New York to small-town Wisconsin, this tale has it all. Pippa Grant shared a delightful, heart-felt tale with character growth, humor and filled with sweet, swoon-worthy moments.

The town of Tickled Pink was delightful and the first time Phoebe meets cranky single dad, Teague Miller well let’s just say it was like oil and water. I was intrigued and slipped right into the story.

What began as a motive to achieve her goals quickly transformed into an awakening. Phoebe got a look at who she was, where she is and what she wants to become. It was wonderfully done. Teague has his own transformation to undergo. The man has secrets, and doesn’t like change. His entire focus has been his daughter, who is absolutely delightful.

The romance was a slow-burn with a little sizzle as Grant peeled back their layers, exposed them and built trust and respect as their attraction intensified.

The Lightly family is frankly a mess. I admit I am looking forward to getting the rest of their stories. Gigi is a hoot and seeing the family living in and restoring the old high school was admittedly fun. From pranks to softball games, Grant made me laugh.

Savannah Peachwood and Sebastian York deliver the narration dual narration, switching back and forth with each POV. Each is wonderful and did a great job of bringing Teague and Phoebe to life. However, I must admit recent duet narrations have me thinking I would have enjoyed it even more had York done all the male voices and Peachwood the female.

This was a fun romance, and I look forward to the next audiobook. Fans of Lauren Blakely, Amy Daws and Meghan Quinn will enjoy this one.

Amazon | Audible*

*Available to listen on Kindle Unlimited

The One Who Loves You by Pippa Grant delivered a heart-felt, sexy, #RomCom and first in the #TickledPink series #Audiobook #SebastianYork #SavannahPeachwood
Click To Tweet

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2022 Audiobook Challenge

Source

Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/%f0%9f%8e%a7-the-one-who-loves-you-by-pippa-grant.html

Narrated by Traci Odom, Last Words by Mariah Stewart delivers a horrific murder-mystery. When FBI, special agent Mia Shields, is called in, Chief of Police Gabriel Beck will have to work to keep Mia from becoming the killer’s next victim. A chilling, suspense and the second is the Last trilogy.

Last Words
by Mariah Stewart
Series: Last #2
Narrator: Traci Odom
Length: 8 hours and 57 minutes
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate

Rating:
Narration: 4 cups Speed: 1.3x

THIS KILLER TAKES THEIR BREATH AWAY.

A nine-year veteran of the FBI, special agent Mia Shields thinks she’s seen it all. But nothing prepares her for the terror that descends upon the idyllic bayside community of St. Dennis, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where a depraved killer has left a grisly surprise for Chief of Police Gabriel Beck: the body of an unidentified woman, naked and completely encased in plastic wrap, stretched across the back-seat of Beck’s car. Hidden in the wrapping is a tape recording of the victim’s last, gasping words, terrifying evidence of the horror endured at the hands of a madman. Soon the body count begins to rise as more victims are found, all gruesomely cocooned, their final pleas also captured on tape.
Determined to catch the sadistic killer, Beck and Mia team up and set a trap–with Mia as bait. But their prey is closer than they ever could have imagined. Now Beck must race against time to save Mia from becoming the next victim of a serial killer as elusive as he is evil.

{
“@context”:”https://schema.org”,
“@type”:”Review”,
“datePublished”: “2022-07-26T05:00:00+00:00”,
“description”: “Narrated by Traci Odom, Last Words by Mariah Stewart delivers a horrific murder-mystery. When FBI, special agent Mia Shields,u00a0is called in, Chief of Police Gabriel Beck will have to work to kee”,
“publisher”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Caffeinated Reviewer” },
“url”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/last-words-by-mariah-stewart.html”,
“itemReviewed”: {
“@type”: “Book”,
“name”: “Last Words”,
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Mariah Stewart”,
“sameAs”: “http://www.mariahstewart.com/” },
“isbn”: “” },
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Kimberly”,
“sameAs”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/” },
“reviewRating”: {
“@type”: “Rating”,
“ratingValue”: 3,
“bestRating”: “5”
}
}

I am glad to see these works originally published in 2007 come to audio. This is the second standalone in the Last trilogy but also part of the John Mancini series. The story takes place in the coastal community of St. Dennis, situated along the Bayside of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Chief of Police Gabriel Beck is dealing with missing person cases when the first victim is left on her parent’s front porch wrapped in cellophane. Inside, the police find a recording of the victim’s last moments. The second body is left in Beck’s backseat and that’s when he calls in the FBI. Agent Mia Shields arrives and the story that unfolds was suspenseful with a side of romance.

Like Nora Roberts or Karin Slaughter, Stewart weaves a suspenseful murder-mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat despite guessing the killer early on. Stewart delivered plenty of red-herrings and twists that made discovering all the details enjoyable.

The romance which was served on the side felt genuine. I liked both Mia and Beck. They worked well together, and the budding relationship felt genuine. Those looking for heavier romantic aspect might be disappointed.

The story really picked up at the midway point. I really liked FBI profiler Anne Marie McCall, who was called in. I am told she is in previous books, which has me tempted to look for stories with her.

Last Words was an enjoyable story despite my early discovery of the villain. I wouldn’t call these re-readable, but great library picks.

Traci Odem did a stellar job with the narration. Her voices and tone felt authentic and enhanced my overall enjoyment of the tale.

Amazon | Audible

Last Words by Mariah Stewart, Traci Odom delivered a suspenseful murder-mystery with a side of romance #LastTrilogy #TraciOdem #audiobook #audiobookreview
Click To Tweet

Source

Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/last-words-by-mariah-stewart.html

Sophia Rose is here with The Other Half of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. Go back to the beginning in the Other Side of the Grave world. Come see why you’ll love this trip down memory lane…

The Other Half of the Grave
by Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress #1.1
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating:
Heat Level:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a thrilling new look at the iconic origin story of Cat and Bones, as experienced by Bones…from the other half of the grave.

There are two sides to every story–and the sizzling British alpha vampire, Bones, has a lot to say…

Ever wondered what Bones was thinking and feeling when he and half-vampire Cat Crawfield first met? Or how their story might differ if he were the one telling it? Now, relive the beginning of Cat and Bones’ bestselling love story through Bones’ point of view, which reveals a darker, sexier take on their early days, as well as a deeper dive into Bones’ past, the vampire world, and other things that Cat didn’t see when their story was told only through her eyes in Halfway to the Grave.

Cat had her say. Now, it’s Bones’ turn.

{
“@context”:”https://schema.org”,
“@type”:”Review”,
“datePublished”: “2022-07-27T05:00:00+00:00”,
“description”: “Sophia Rose is here with The Other Half of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. Go back to the beginning in the Other Side of the Grave world. Come see why you’ll love this trip down memory lane… “,
“publisher”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Caffeinated Reviewer” },
“url”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/the-other-half-of-the-grave-by-jeaniene-frost.html”,
“itemReviewed”: {
“@type”: “Book”,
“name”: “The Other Half of the Grave”,
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Jeaniene Frost”,
“sameAs”: “http://jeanienefrost.com/” },
“isbn”: “” },
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Kimberly”,
“sameAs”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/” },
“reviewRating”: {
“@type”: “Rating”,
“ratingValue”: 4.5,
“bestRating”: “5”
}
}

Sophia Rose’s Review

Jeaniene Frost brought readers back to the beginning and told how it happened from her vampire hero’s perspective, but also from his background and his world.

The Other Side of the Grave is written so that newbies and veterans to the series alike can pick it up and enjoy it. Told parallel to Halfway to the Grave and a little of One Foot in the Grave, Bones’ tale fits in well to read before, after, or hey, during the reading of those books from Cat’s perspective.

Bones is an old master vampire and he’s tracking down a vampire who can give him the intel he needs to solve a big vampire-related problem.  But, just as he tracks down the guy, a human woman vampire hunter cuts off his access to information.  However, in a stunning twist, he learns from the woman that she is in fact a rare half-breed who has no idea about his world and only a hard on to kill all vampires in a sad quest to get her messed up mom’s love.

Ordinarily, Bones would make a quick end of a human killing his kind willy nilly, but he falls for the foul-mouthed brassy female from the beginning so decides to turn all that hate to his own advantage.  He can’t infiltrate some of the vampires he needs to question without sending them scurrying or unwilling to cough up the information he needs to finish his mission, but this gorgeous human-seeming female could waltz right in and simply look like luscious food.

So, the training begins and this mismatched pair reluctantly and provokingly come together as a partnership on more than one level.

The Other Side of the Grave was a fun waltz down memory lane.  It has been years since I read the Night Huntress series particularly the Cat and Bones books.  I found reading this freshened my memories, but gave fuller details than I remember the first time through.  Cat had to learn about the vampire world that was half her heritage over the course of the series while Bones was already an older master vampire.  Cat had to learn what was going on that Bones was investigating while the reader gets to see the case from the perspective of Bone’s knowledge.  And, it was absolutely the most exciting and fun thing to see their building relationship and romance through Bones’ eyes. 

Confession time, I loved the Night Huntress series while sometime barely tolerating Cat herself.  I admired her gutsy nature that held strong and got up when she was beaten down, but not the stupid, unnecessary choices or big mouth behavior and stubbornness at the wrong moments.  Switching perspectives makes a difference.  This one felt darker and broodier because Bones isn’t a young smart-mouthed hotshot, but I think it tempered the experience to just the right tone.

But, oh how sultry and sexy.  This carried over in both books.  Definitely the big money reason to have it from Bones’ perspective.  The vampire got me all hot and bothered right alongside Cat.  Please say there is more coming…

All in all, it was just what I was hoping for and makes me want to pick up and re-read large portions of the early books.  Urban Fantasy fans really should tick the Night Huntress series off their lists and already fans should not miss this parallel book that reflects’ Bones’ perspective.

Amazon | Audible

The Other Half of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost checked all the boxes. #bookreview #SophiaRose #UrbanFantasy #NightHuntress
Click To Tweet

Source

Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/the-other-half-of-the-grave-by-jeaniene-frost.html

I love a good locked-room mystery and dove into the technothriller, Pryor & Cummings: The GAIA Incident by Rod Pennington, not knowing what to expect. Pennington delivered a suspenseful mystery with interesting characters and plenty of twists. Fans of crime thrillers and technothrillers will want to grab this one.

Pryor & Cummings: The GAIA Incident
by Rod Pennington
Genres: Mystery, Suspense Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate

Rating:

Late at night, a hacker sneaks into the subterranean lab of a celebrity scientist where he makes a discovery which gets him murdered. The police soon learn surveillance video shows no one had left the facility since the homicide and a thorough search for the killer comes up empty.

To solve this locked room techno-thriller-mystery, an old-school detective and his retired K-9 reluctantly partner with a young high-tech rookie. Questions about motives and possible conflicts of interest fly when the veteran learns about the relationships his daughter has with his new partner and she had had with the deceased

{
“@context”:”https://schema.org”,
“@type”:”Review”,
“datePublished”: “2022-07-28T05:00:00+00:00”,
“description”: “I love a good locked-room mystery and dove into the technothriller, Pryor & Cummings: The GAIA Incident by Rod Pennington, not knowing what to expect. Pennington delivered a suspenseful mystery w”,
“publisher”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Caffeinated Reviewer” },
“url”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/pryor-cummings-the-gaia-incident-by-rod-pennington.html”,
“itemReviewed”: {
“@type”: “Book”,
“name”: “Pryor & Cummings: The GAIA Incident”,
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Rod Pennington”,
“sameAs”: “” },
“isbn”: “” },
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Kimberly”,
“sameAs”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/” },
“reviewRating”: {
“@type”: “Rating”,
“ratingValue”: 4,
“bestRating”: “5”
}
}

Detective Albert Pryor is taken off probation and made lead when the body of a GAIA Institute graduate student is found in a locked computer lab. He is partnered with rookie Max Cummings. Cummings is a techie and despite not being happy about it, Pryor soon has to admit the kid knows his stuff.

I like Pryor from his dog to his cherry red classic 1958 F150. The GAIA Institute is run by his ex-wife’s new husband and the reason for Pryor’s recent suspension. Not only was the mystery interesting and but so were the characters from Pryor’s daughter to his ex-father-in-law.

I loved the conversations between Pryor and his college daughter Brooke. The girl is a techie geek and completely fearless. There is a little romance that involves Max and Brooke. I loved the thread and how it affected interactions between Pryor and Cummings. The author did a great job of pulling me and keeping me invested. I laughed, cheered and rooted for each of these characters.

The locked door mystery was well done and kept me guessing as the suspense built. Rod Pennington was the perfect villain, but there is more to this story. Pryor was determined to pin the murder on him. The author delivered plenty of twists, while allowing the reader to ponder the future of artificial intelligence.

While I am not a fan of the cover, I was impressed by the story from the flow to the characters and will definitely read this author’s work again. Fans of murder-mysteries and small-town dynamics will want to grab this one. I am hoping we see more of Pryor & Cummings.

Amazon*

*KindleUnlimited

Pryor & Cummings: The GAIA Incident by Rod Pennington delivered a suspenseful locked room murder-mystery with plenty of small-town charm. #bookreview
Click To Tweet

Source

Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/pryor-cummings-the-gaia-incident-by-rod-pennington.html

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Today, my youngest, the Royal’s mommy, celebrates her birthday. There might be cake. I signed Sophia up for baking classes for the next three Mondays. She had her first one this week and learned how to make and decorate sugar cookies. Bonus- she gets to bring home what she creates so everyone got to enjoy sugar cookies. This week is cake from fondant to pipping icing. Yum. Stay cool, stay healthy and Stay Caffeinated.

Last Week on the Blog

• The One Who Loves You By Pippa Grant (audio review)
• Last Words By Mariah Stewart (audio review)
• The Other Half Of The Grave By Jeaniene Frost (guest post, book review)
• Pryor & Cummings: The GAIA Incident By Rod Pennington (book review)

This Week on the Blog

• Nonna’s Corner: A Feast For Pleasant Beasts By J.T. Bird (book review)
• The Secret Of Bow Lane By Jennifer Ashley (book review)
• The Codebreaker’s Secret By Sara Ackerman (guest post, book review)
• Mystic Madness By Kim Richardson (audio review)

New Arrivals at the Caffeinated Cafe

Learn more:

• Dark Seas by Kari Lee Harmon
• You Can Hide by Rebecca Zanetti
• The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin
• Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Special thanks to Tantor Audio, Kensington Books, Hanover Square Press & Simon Audio

Around The Blogosphere

Caffeinated PR

Link Up Your Edition Of The Sunday Post

Before you link up: Please be sure your weekly post includes a link back to Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Post

Source

Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/07/sunday-post-535-birthdays-baking.html