Because I’m trying to read a book every two days for Library Journal, I don’t always have time to finish the book I’m reading for my blog. I don’t like to talk about them much, except on Thursdays, because that spoils the actual review. I do have a review or two from Kevin Tipple that I could use, but I may need them later this week.
So, I’m going to give you a sneak peek at one of the books I’m reading this week for review in April. It’s a debut by Lindy Ryan called Bless Your Heart. It’s a little different for me, a mystery-horror novel, but I picked it because it looked like fun. Don’t worry. I’ll remind you again close to release date, April 9, in case it interests you. Here’s the publisher’s blurb for “A Peek Ahead”.
A crackling mystery-horror novel with big-hearted characters and Southern charm with a bite, Bless Your Heart is a gasp-worthy delight from start to finish from debut author Lindy Ryan.
Rise and shine. The Evans women have some undead to kill.
It’s 1999 in Southeast Texas and the Evans women, owners of the only funeral parlor in town, are keeping steady with…normal business. The dead die, you bury them. End of story. That’s how Ducey Evans has done it for the last eighty years, and her progeny—Lenore the experimenter and Grace, Lenore’s soft-hearted daughter, have run Evans Funeral Parlor for the last fifteen years without drama. Ever since That Godawful Mess that left two bodies in the ground and Grace raising her infant daughter Luna, alone.
But when town gossip Mina Jean Murphy’s body is brought in for a regular burial and she rises from the dead instead, it’s clear that the Strigoi—the original vampire—are back. And the Evans women are the ones who need to fight back to protect their town.
As more folks in town turn up dead and Deputy Roger Taylor begins asking way too many questions, Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and now Luna, must take up their blades and figure out who is behind the Strigoi’s return. As the saying goes, what rises up, must go back down. But as unspoken secrets and revelations spill from the past into the present, the Evans family must face that sometimes, the dead aren’t the only things you want to keep buried.
Does this work for you? Not the book, but “A Peek Ahead”. I’m trying to add a little variety to the blog so you continue to come back and read with me for Thursdays, “What Are You Reading?”, my book reviews and Kevin Tipple’s, the lists of Favorites on Wednesdays for the next couple months, occasional contests. I need to invite a few more authors for interviews and guest posts. I don’t want you to feel as if the blog has grown stale.
Let me know what you think! Or, do you have some other ideas? I know “What Are You Reading?” was suggested by Jeff Meyerson. I’ll consider suggestions if you have anything else.
I like A Peek Ahead. Just enough information to see if I want to make a note to look for it at my library closer to publication date.
Great! Thanks, Susan!
I like your peek ahead. It’s a good way to feature upcoming books that we might not have heard about.
I appreciate it, Sandy. Thank you.
Lesa, I’m just glad you didn’t retire the column when you left your day job.
I like the peek ahead and also when you tell us about your adventures and the new places you explore.
As an aside, after rear-ending my car at a stoplight, a sorority girl in Fayetteville, AR actually said “Bless your heart, you seem upset. Don’t worry, Daddy will take care of it.”
Oh, no, MM. I wouldn’t retire the blog just because I retired from my day job. I enjoy the community of book lovers here. Thank you!
Well, bless Daddy’s heart. That made me laugh, MM, although I know it wasn’t funny to you, and it wouldn’t have been funny to me if I was the one who was hit. But her reaction?
Sounds like an interesting book. LOL I like the peek ahead.
Great! Thank you, Carol!
I like this new addition and am glad that you did not retire the blog when you decided to retire and move. Also very glad and appreciative that you allow my stuff to appear here.
In this case, this is clearly not a book for me. Kind of just as well as I have a ton of reading material here as it is these days.
And in really crummy weather news this morning, they are now warning us that after a very cold weekend, we may get into single digits early next week and not above freezing AND winter precip. Blah.
It’s a little slow-going for me, Kevin. Lots of gore.
Kevin, I never even thought of retiring the blog when I retired. I love it, and the people we read with here.
We’re getting howling winds and wintry weather. I’ll let you know how bad it is on Thursday. I agree. Blah.
Yes!!! Loving Peek Ahead!!
Thank you, Kaye!
I like the Peek Ahead addition, Lesa.
Thank you, Grace!
I enjoy anything you post about what you’re reading, so please do continue with sneak peeks. The cover of the book you’re featuring today would stop me in my tracks in a bookstore and force me to take a look inside. It sounds like a lot of fun.
Pretty gory at times, but I can skim those parts, Sandra. I like the characters.
Great! Thumbs up for A Sneak Peek.
I like the Peek Ahead too!
I guess A Peek Ahead stays. Thanks, Karen!