FREE STUFF!

JENN McKINLAY: As you can see, we are giving away SEVEN books to one lucky reader! Click this link – GIVEAWAY – to enter to win the six books shown plus one mystery book! FREE BOOKS, ya’ll, does it get any better? No, it does not!

Now being a thrifty sort, I LOVE free stuff. When I was younger (read poorer), I took everything that was offered to me that had the right price of FREE. This is why I have an upright piano in my house that, once the Hooligans stopped taking lessons, no one has played except Hooligan 1’s Plus 1 when she visits and I adore her for that! Now that I am older and more discerning, I curate the freebies that I accept such as my in-laws gorgeous dining set from Copenhagen – yes, please, and thank you! Other stuff, not so much.

How about you, Reds, how do you feel about free stuff?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s like, gift with purchase. SO irresistible, even if we know i’;s not a gift!  Or the points we get at CVS. I know they make the stuff more expensive (my opinion at least) so it’s a wash for them, but oooh, free points so I can get free stuff.  Airline miles, too, so fabulous.  (I cannot bring myself to use them, though, and have no idea what I’m saving them FOR, which is annoying. ) And all those little bookish trinkets we get at conferences–I have so many canvas bags! And pens.  But..they were FREE! 

Anyway! We are so happy with all of you that we decided to have some summertime fun and offer YOU free stuff!  And we’re thinking we’ll do this again.That’s why you’ll see on the entry form that we’re calling it a quarterly giveaway.

LUCY BURDETTE:  Hank, I do not get those CVS points, do not understand how to use those at all. So I just throw the receipts in the trash. Airline points are tricky because it’s very seldom you can actually use them. I encourage John to use them when he’s going somewhere with multiple flights like skiing from Key West. One thing I do adore is free books! Particularly something I desperately want to read anyway. We hope you will feel that way about this giveaway! And by the way, come to the Reds and readers Facebook page and chat about Jenn’s Hallmark debut, Thursday, July 30! I can’t wait…

HANK: Lucy, you throw those receipts in the trash? Even if they say Extra Bucks? Nooooooo.. And yes, free books. The total scourge. How can anyone resist?

HALLIE EPHRON, who is still trying to give away an upright piano (no takers) that my kids learned to play on. No takers.

CVS coupon deals? Meh. Every time I go to CVS I try to use one of those deals (25% OFF ON YOUR NEXT PURCHASE!!) and it turns out whatever I’m shopping for doesn’t qualify. 

Having said that, I love it when the grocery store offers two avocados or mangos or cucumbers for the price of one. But two 5-pound bags of potatoes? They’ll sprout before go through them. Still, I take that “free” extra bag and drop it in the food donation bin on my way out of the store. 

RHYS BOWEN : The one I don’t get. But one pair of shoes get the second free. Who needs two pairs of identical shoes? In my early marriage/ raising a family days I loved  free stuff. Who  else collected Green Stamps? They paid for kids Christmas presents. These days I’m happy to pay. I do get and use airline miles. I’ve books trips to Europe for several family members on my miles. I currently have 249,0000 miles on AA. 

 

I don’t claim most freebies. I feel other people need free stuff more than me  But I do love a bargain!

JENN: I am also a flyer miles collector. Love upgrading my seat to one with legroom every chance I get!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Ditto here on the CVS points. I am just annoyed by all the extra paper added to my receipt. Airline miles, on the other hand, have made trips to London and back much more comfortable over the years. I will take those upgrades, although they're not exactly "free" these days, even with mileage.

Otherwise, I'm not so big on free stuff these days. I'm trying to get rid of stuff, not add to it!

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I adore free stuff (well, except for the $15,000 cat.) I occasionally have dreams where I get to go through some sort of thrift shop and take anything I want. Seriously, I don't know what that says about me, but I do. My first time at the American Booksellers Conference in NY, I took EVERY advance reader copy I thought I might be remotely interested in - and then had to stagger back to my hotel from the Javits Center carrying approximately 500 pounds of books, sine there wasn't a cab to be had anywhere.

 

I have learned since then. Like the rest of you, I've gotten a lot more picky as the count-of-items-owned has increased but my storage space has not. It's still a delight, but it has to 1) actually be worth it (do I want to spend the money on the skin are to get the "free" gift-with-purchase) and something I need (buy-one-get-one-free is my trip-up here.) 

 

I'm still a sucker for free books, though... 

Your turn, Readers, where do you stand on free stuff?

Book Clubs, Part 2

LUCY BURDETTE: Back in August we had a post that featured our new summer releases, The Mango Murders, Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure, and All This Could Be Yours. 

The Reds have three more books out this fall, and we invite you to choose one or more of them for your book group’s discussion. Here now are questions for Jenn McKinlay’s WITCHES OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN, Julia Spencer-Fleming’s AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY, and Rhys Bowen’s FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE. They might also suggest a snack that might best complement the stories!

Jenn McKinlay’s Readers Discussion Questions (no spoilers version): Witches of Dubious Origin

Identity and Legacy

Zoe discovers she is descended from a powerful line of witches. How does her background and family history shape her sense of identity? In what ways does she resist and in what ways does she embrace her witch heritage?

Magical Books

The mysterious family grimoire plays a central role in the story. What does the locked book symbolize for Zoe and for the BODO (Books of Dubious Origin) team? How is knowledge (especially magical knowledge) portrayed as a form of power? What did you think of Freya? Would you want a book-cat of your own?

Fear, Vows, and Promises

Zoe made a vow (to her mother) never to use magic — how does that promise affect her decisions? Do you think her fear of magic stems more from personal loss, or from the responsibility that comes with power (or both)? How do promises like that drive the conflict?

Found Family & Community

The BODO staff become a kind of found family for Zoe. What roles do Jasper, Olive, Miles, and Tariq play in her journey — not just in solving magical mysteries, but in her emotional growth? How does belonging to a community change her outlook?

Good vs. Evil & Moral Ambiguity

There are dark forces at work, including an antagonist who threatens Zoe. How does the novel define “evil”? Are the magical threats purely bad, or are there shades of gray? What moral challenges does Zoe face as she learns to harness her power, and how does she choose to use it?

 

Because our heroine Zoe survives on a diet of junk food, here is the classic recipe for Rice Krispie Treats, a bad breakfast choice for her—IYKYK.

 

Recipe: Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

4 cups mini marshmallows (or about 10 oz large marshmallows)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

(Optional) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

(Optional) A pinch of salt

Instructions:

Prepare your pan

Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan (or line it with parchment paper) so treats don’t stick.

Melt butter and marshmallows

In a large pot over low to medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the marshmallows and stir constantly until they are completely melted and smooth. If using, stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

Mix in cereal

Remove the pot from heat. Quickly add the Rice Krispies cereal and gently fold until all the cereal is coated with the marshmallow mixture.

Press into pan

Using a buttered spatula or lightly buttered hands, press the mixture evenly into your prepared pan. Don’t press too hard — you want them compact but still a little light so they're chewy, not rock hard.

Cool and cut

Let the treats cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes (or until set). Then cut into squares.

Serve and store

Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 2–3 days at room temperature.

Discussion Questions for Rhys Bowen’s newest Royal Spyness mystery,  From Cradle to Grave.

What do you think of Georgie’s reaction to a new nanny appearing on her doorstep?

What would your reaction have been?

Do you think she should have spoken out sooner?

How would you feel about having a nanny for your child?

Did you cheer when Georgie finally put Fig in her place?

Did you enjoy the complex puzzle of the mystery? 

Were you surprised when you  found the link between the victims or had you guessed something similar?

If you’ve been following the series from the beginning how do you think that Georgie has grown and matured?

Queenie…love her or hate her?

Has the writer played fair with the clues?

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING:  

 

Discussion questions for AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY (and book club snack suggestions!)

 

Both Russ Van Alstyne and Clare Fergusson are wrestling with changes of their identities - from police chief to unemployed, and from a couple to a family with a child. How well do they manage these transitions? Do you think they're avoiding these changes, or tackling them head-on? Have you ever faced a major life change, and if so, how did you deal with it?

 

Clare impetuously (how else?) gets involved with two women on the fringes of a white militia movement. Is her desire to change their views generous, or naïve? Do you think she succeeds in any way?

 

Kevin Flynn has always wanted to be a police officer. After the events of the book, do you think he still belongs in law enforcement? 

 

Hadley Knox juggles her job, her kids and helping her grandfather. She doesn't really want to care about Kevin and what nay have happened to him, but she just can't help herself. If you were sitting down to a cup of coffee with Hadley, what advice would you give her?

 

Nature plays a large role in the story. Can you see yourself winter hiking through the Adirondacks, or are you more likely to be at home playing Christmas music by the fireplace?

 

Do you see any symbolism in the natural world versus the man-made concrete environment we spend time in later in the book?

 

We meet two new characters who throw their hats in with our heroes. What do you imagine happening to them after the end of the story? 

 

Snack: Clare serves shortbread cookies to Russ, Hadley and Yixin Zhao when they meet at the rectory. If you don't have parishioners dropping cookies off to you, I suggest Celia Wakefield's shortbread recipe. You can make it more seasonal by adding crushed candy cane or peppermint crunch to the dough. Serve with the strong hot cocoa the group shares while decorating the tree - and if you're not sober, like Russ and Clare, a tot of bourbon in the cocoa is very nice indeed!

Reds, have you read these books yet? What are your book groups reading--and eating?

Top Posts of 2023!

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!

 JENN McKINLAY: I'm a big one for end of the year tallies and whatnot. I like to look back, see what was accomplished and what is left to do. In the case of this blog, I like to review what posts of ours resonated with our readers and which ones didn't.

Not for nothing, but according to the stat machine of Blogger, the Jungle Red Writers had 1.7 M views and 26.8 K comments just in the past twelve months. Whoa! 

What a year it was! We covered everything from Barbie to the World Economic Forum to beans! Your comments and the stories you shared with us made our posts even more engaging and we thank you for joining us and bringing your wit and wisdom to the party. 

As we launch our new venture Reds and Readers (click the name to join) TOMORROW on Facebook (it's a new place for giveaways, live chats, etc.), we look forward to even more shenanigans in 2024! Make no mistake, we will never give up our blog, but we do want to be able to chat with our community, our readers, our friends, a little more easily and it's our hope that this group will do that! So come on over and check it out!

And now here are some of our top posts from 2023 to revisit: 

Hallie : CONNECTING WITH THE MURDER VICTIM

Hank: SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT BARBIE?

Rhys: RHYS ON RULES

Lucy: LUCY IS COUNTING BEANS

Debs:  THE ICONIC TOMATO SANDWICH

Julia: DAVOS FOR THE REST OF US

Jenn: WHEN LIFE BECOMES A SITCOM

So, Readers, what were some of your favorite posts from last year? What do you think we should talk about next?

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY READING, EVERYONE!!!

Bring it, 2024 -- And by "it" I mean BOOKS!

JENN MCKINLAY: It’s that time again, Reds, to tabulate the total of our bookstore gift cards received during the holiday season (woo hoo!) and plan our purchases for 2024! So, what are your most anticipated reads (excluding the Reds because of course we’re on the top of each other’s lists) for the coming year?

I’ll go first:

ONCE UPON A MURDER by Samantha Larsen

I absolutely loved, loved, loved the first in this new series - A NOVEL DISGUISE - An impoverished woman masquerades as a male librarian to an earl to keep the roof over her head, set in 1754. Brilliant!

ONE OF US KNOWS by Alyssa Cole

I really enjoyed WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING and am eager to see what this author does next for a suspense/thriller read.

JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez

I've read all of Abby's books - she is fantastically funny, poignant, and delightful. I will read anything she writes, even her grocery list.

All right, Reds, your turn! What titles are you most looking forward to? 

HALLIE EPHRON: Top of my list: I’m looking forward to reading a book that slipped by me this year, a memoir by Patrick Bringley, All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me. 

It’s Bringley’s first book. In it he tells the story of how, after his younger brother died, grief-stricken and lost, Bringley quit his job in publishing and took a job at the Met as a guard–where  he found the time and space (and the beauty of the works of art) that he needed to grieve and heal.

I love the Met. Spent untold hours there when I was an undergrad and an art history minor at Barnard. I’ve become intimately acquainted with grief in the last two years. I don’t know how I missed this book when it came out but I’ll be making up for that in January. 

RHYS BOWEN:  with various health concerns looming over us, including a new knee for me sometime soon I need good suggestions for comfort reads!

But I am looking forward to Jackie Winspear’s last Maisie Dobbs novel. That will be bitter-sweet reading as I’ve enjoyed Maisie’s journey.

LUCY BURDETTE: Rhys, have you tried the Lane Winslow series set in western Canada? I just finished the first, A KILLER IN KING’S COVE. After a slow start, I loved the book.

I’m also hoping Santa brings me Richard Osman’s THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE, and François-Régis Gaudry’s LET’S EAT PARIS. And I’m finally going to read ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, which is already waiting on my nightstand.

JENN: I loved ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE but haven't watched the Netflix version - afraid they'll ruin it. Anyone see it?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I'm looking forward to Deborah Harkness's THE BLACKBIRD ORACLE, the long-awaited fifth book in her All Soul's series, but that's not out until July. A little sooner is Natalie Jenner's, EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, out in May. And I am hoping there will be a new Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London novel in 2024, although I haven't seen anything about a release yet. 

In the meantime, maybe I will get to the copy of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE on MY nightstand!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I am about to devour my idol Lisa Scottoline’s THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS, which I know will be fabulous. Oh, what else–Soon I’m going to interview Elizabeth Gonzalez James about her new THE BULLET SWALLOWER, which is billed as a magical realism Western. What?  Yup. It is fabulous so far!   SWIFT RIVER by Essie Chambers, so looking forward to it. And the wonderful Mary Kubica’s new SHE’S NOT SORRY. One more? Michael Koryta, one of my favorite authors ever, has a new novel which he’s written as Scott Carson called LOST MAN’S LANE. Cannot wait! 

(Don't you love how our choices are different?)

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hank, I didn’t know about the Michael Koryta book - he’s one of my faves, so thank you or the heads up!

As one of our resident SF fans, top of my list is THE MERCY OF GODS by James S.A. Corey, the pen name for the writing duo that brought us the brilliant Expanse series. Humans become the captive and unwilling helpers of their alien conquerors as the latter attempts to dominate the galaxy. No one does realistic political space opera like these guys, so I’m already pre-ordered, and the book doesn’t come out until August.

And my most anticipated “haven’t read it yet but will in 2024” is YELLOWFACE by R.F. Kuang. I think Jenn has read this? It’s gotten major attention since it came out at the beginning of last summer, but of course, I’m always reading a year behind or a year ahead…

JENN: Yes, I did read Yellowface. Let me just say, it is a wild ride. There is some very cutting observations made about publishing that I enjoyed tremendously.

All right, Readers, your turn. What are you most eager to read in 2024?

JUNGLE RED COCKTAILS at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore

 LUCY BURDETTE: Did you join us earlier this fall when all of the Reds got together for a chat at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore? No? Don't worry, Barbara Peters is hosting us again--but even better, with holiday cocktails this time! And you could do some of your Christmas shopping at the same time...

Here's the rub: Should we all sip the same drink or go it alone? And what recipe should we use? (Something red of course.) Luckily, my pal from golf mystery days, Fritz Schrank, has just published a book of quarantine cocktails. And he offered three of his favorite suggestions from his new ebook Quarantinis: Easy and Fun Cocktails for When You’re Stuck at Home, by Fritz Schranck....

Bacardi Cocktail 

According to Liquor.com, a popular drink in the post-Prohibition era. 

2 oz Bacardi white rum

0.75 oz grenadine syrup

0.75 oz lime juice 

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a coupe or martini glass. 

Irish Redhead

This version of the popular cocktail is derived from restlesschipotle.com. 

1.5 oz Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey 

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp lime juice

0.5 oz grenadine 

ginger ale 

cherry garnish 

Combine whiskey, juices, and grenadine in a rocks glass with a large block/ball of ice. Top off with the ginger ale and cherry garnish. 

The whiskey is hard to detect, making it easy to convince yourself that another one or two or three would be just one. 

Rye Billionaire 

A crushed ice version of a recipe from Liquor.com. The Hawaiian Punch-like appearance is a bit misleading. 

2 oz Reservoir Rye

0.75 oz lemon juice

0.5 oz grenadine

0.5 oz Demerara simple syrup 

0.25 oz blackberry bitters

lemon wheel garnish 

Combine first five ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into an 8-oz goblet and fill remainder with crushed ice. Add the lemon wheel garnish.

And one last idea--I made this to celebrate the launch of A Deadly Feast--it's a campari spritz (at the beach) and it was delicious!

1 ounce C​a​mpari

3 ounces Prosecco

Club soda or sparkling water

Sliced  Orange

Maraschino cherries

Fill up​ a​ pretty glass with ice. And the C​a​mpari followed by the Prosecco, and​ finally​ add club soda or sparkling water to taste. Garnish with sliced oranges and maraschino cherries. Retire to the beach or the pool or your armchair to sip and read… 

What do you think Reds? Votes? Other suggestions? And here's the link to our event 12/12 at 5 pm EST. Hope to see lots of you there!

(And here's the link to Quarantinis by Fritz Schrank!)

Rhys on What We're Reading

RHYS BOWEN: Well, we’ve made it through another week, haven’t we? I wonder if it will get any easier if we’re in isolation for a month, for two months?


Please email me if you’d like me to answer any of your questions or concerns like “IS it normal to want to put a pillow over your husband’s face while he is sleeping because he’s driving me crazy?” Okay, only some of the time. Most of the time he’s being really good. Except when he brings in a package and PUTS IT ON THE JUST CLEANED AND DISINFECTED COUNTER!


Earlier in the week I talked about the gift of time, which should translate into time for reading all those books I’ve meant to read but never did. But you know what I find? I find it hard to concentrate. So no complicated mystery stories, nothing too dark, and certainly nothing too sad. It has to have a happy ending (except that for some reason I’m finding Harry Potter just fits the bill. Maybe because he’s battling against terrible odds and finally wins … unless you are Dobby).


So I find I’ve been re-reading things I’ve enjoyed before. Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden. Some of Louse Penny’s early Gamache books, and now Laurie King’s The Beekeeper’s Apprentice which I must have read when it first came out and I didn’t know who Laurie King was.


Unfortunately I’m at my Arizona winter retreat so I don’t have access to all my library of children’s books and old favorites which I’d normally read in times of stress. My entire collection of Agatha Christie for example. So I’d like to hear from you:


What are you reading right now? Any suggestions for books in the time of plague?


LUCY BURDETTE: Ha ha on the pillow over hub’s head. I texted with friends yesterday and we agreed (1) maybe we’d have more time to write in jail, and (2) we’d look good in orange.


Bad jokes aside, I feel very lucky to have my hub holed up with me! I’m reading an unusual book called THE GULF by Belle Boggs. It takes place at a rundown motel in Florida, where a poet and her ex-boyfriend are trying set up a writing seminar for inspirational writer wanna-bes. I wanted something other than a murder mystery for once, and this is very different!


I’ve also started THE MOTH CATCHER, a Vera book by Ann Cleeves. I’d say this is comfort reading because I know and love the characters. And I also pre-ordered Julia’s new book, coming VERY SOON--HID FROM YOUR EYES. Let’s all do that and then we’ll have a virtual book party!





JENN McKINLAY: LOL, Rhys. Yes, quality time with the fam has begun to feel more like doin’ time. Thankfully, I have a plethora of ARCs to read for endorsements and for once I actually have time to savor them instead of wedging the reading into every spare minute I can find. So, that’s nice. Let me just say there is some really terrific fiction coming out this year and next like our Lucy’s KEY LIME CRIME (July), Devon Daniels’s MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE (Sept), and Lauren Elliott’s A PAGE MARKED FOR MURDER (Oct). Other than that, I am trying to write, catching up on my Netflix backlog, and doing a lot of procrastibaking. I’m on a shortbread bender at the moment.


DEBORAH CROMBIE: I thought I would do so much reading! But, like most everyone else, I’ve been very distracted. An advance copy of Lucy’s THE KEY LIME CRIME helped get me through the last couple of weeks! Now I’m missing being in her fictional Key West--virus free! Now I’m reading an ARC of Cara Black’s WWII standalone, THREE HOURS IN PARIS, which comes out next week, and I can tell you that it’s gripping! And so looking forward to our Julia’s book, HID FROM OUR EYES, out next week as well. I’ve been waiting SO long! This is my big anticipated read of the spring!


Rhys, you’ve tempted me to go back to Harry Potter. I’d started the Jim Kay illustrated edition with Wren a few weeks ago, but we are not co-reading for the time being… Or I might pick up one of my all-time favorite reads in times of stress, a Dick Francis novel.


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, gosh, my brain is having such a difficult time focusing. Luckily I have the new Kate White HAVE YOU SEEN ME and Roz Nay’s HURRY HOME--both sinister and twisty. The new Samantha Downing arc just arrived, hurray, called HE STARTED IT. I am sure it’ll be wonderful--she’s so talented. I cannot wait for Cara Black--you are all so lucky to have read it--but mine will arrive on pub day.


I am loving SOMETHING WONDERFUL, a bio of Rogers and Hammerstein by Todd Purdom. (I appeared with him on one of my last book tour events, sigh.) It’s wonderful, and a fascinating examination of how those geniuses worked together. ANd has a lot of the discarded lyrics, which are fascinating. (Can you believe So Long, Farewell with a verse that says something like: “So long, farewell, and now we must aloha; I know it’s sad, but time for me to go-ha.” Isn’t that hilarious?


I’ve been very tempted to read all the Agatha Christies, I must say, but suddenly my life is all about decontamination and dinner-making, and worrying that I am not writing. Books all seem to have a weird subtext now, like when you see old movies on TV where people are standing too close together. My mind is still searching for a new normal, so I’m thrilled to see all these suggestions.


HALLIE EPHRON: I”m reading Wendy Corsi Staub’s heartstopping THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER - the finale of her The Foundlings Trilogy. You’lll have to wait until the end of August to see how it all comes together. I also have Raymond Chandler’s FAREWELL MY LOVELY, just to remind myself what an amazing writer he was.

And I’m reading PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS - an anthology of essays by mystery writers on the real mysteries they’ve experienced in real life. Both Rhys and I have essays in the collection, edited by Victoria Zackheim. It comes out in a few weeks, y’all will be hearing much more about it then.


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Comfort reads for me. I’m re-reading Lucy’s Key West Food Critic series because it has everything my life does not right now - solvable problems, delicious food I don’t have to make, beautiful settings and warm weather. I’m also rereading in my usual favorite genre, science fiction: the more recent books of Lois McMaster Bujold. I’m not usually a big rereader, and I think I’m enjoying it precisely because I know what’s going to happen. Unlike here in the real world.


Side note: The Maine Millennial and I were talking about this sense of uncertainty, and I realized the next week, day, hour has always been uncertain - it’s just when things are trundling on as normal we can forget that inconvenient fact.

Back to books - I’m really excited about some books I’ve ordered from one of my local independent bookstores. I’m getting THE LAST EMPEROR, third in an amazing series by John Scalzi, the SF author even people who don’t get SF can read and love. Also Tessa Wegert’s DEATH IN THE FAMILY, because murder on an isolated island is irresistible now. And finally, I’m looking forward to Deb’s current read, THREE HOURS IN PARIS, by Cara Black. Did you know it’s on Amazon’s Editor’s Pick for Best Books for April? I think it’s going to be a BIG book.




NOTE FROM RHYS: Cara will be our guest on Sunday, sharing her favorite sites in Paris. And I LOVED the book. It's brilliant.




















So, dear friends, what are you reading? Can you read? Is it old comfort reads or fun new books?

It's time for Facebook Round Up!

Jenn McKinlay: Recently, I listed all of the Jungle Red Writers's newsletters. Because there are so many ways to follow authors now, I figured it's time to post all of our Facebook pages because while we share a lot of stories and info here on the blog, we all have publishers doing giveaways and promoting our books through our social media pages, so if you're interested, this is the short guide to following all of us!

Facebook: Jungle Red Writers

The official FB page of the Reds! Follow to keep up with our posts and events!

Facebook: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Get the latest updates on Julia's 

Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries as HID FROM OUR EYES arrives 4/7/20, as well as the happenings of the Maine Millennial, Sailor, and Youngest!

Facebook: Lucy Burdette
Check this page out to find out what is happening in Lucy's Key West Food Critic Mysteries! A DEADLY FEAST was just released on 5/7/19, as well as, updates on TBone, Lucy's adorable rescue cat, and ride along on her globe trotting adventures!

Facebook: Hallie Ephron
Suspenseful happenings are to be found here as Hallie's CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR drops 8/6/19! Also, Hallie's page is chock full of writers' conference info and the occasional recipe! It's the first place she posts when her publisher down-prices her back list.

Facebook: Rhys Bowen
Historicals abound on this page with wit and adventure. Don't miss updates on Rhys's stand alone novels, as well as, Molly Murphy and Her Royal Spyness series! LOVE AND DEATH AMONG THE CHEETAHS hits the shelves 8/6/19!

Facebook: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Strap in! So much happens on this page! Psychological suspense author and award winning investigative reporter, Hank's got THE MURDER LIST releasing 8/20/19! Don't miss the sneak peeks!

Facebook: Deborah Crombie
How much do you love Gemma Jameson and Duncan Kincaid? Follow our part-time Notting Hill resident, Deborah, as her next British police procedural A BITTER FEAST is set to arrive on 10/8/19!

Facebook: Jenn McKinlay
The genre bender. Cozy mystery, romance, or women's fiction. It all happens on Jenn's page along with Wednesday Giveaways as WORD TO THE WISE, a library lover's mystery, debuts on 9/3/19!

Okay, Readers, who is on Facebook? Post your info here if you want some follows! If you are an FB user, what do you look for on author pages? If you're not an FB user, what would get you interested?