Best Books to GIVE Now - 2018 Holiday Gift Edition

Last year I selected six books that would make excellent gifts for anyone and I decided to sort-of continue the tradition this year. I’m editing the list this year to only focus on the books I think my readers would enjoy.  I picked three non-fiction books and three novels that portray smart, full-hearted women who are defining their place in the world.

The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson

I was lucky to receive an advanced copy of this and I have not stopped talking about it. From the author of the “Unleashing Mr. Darcy” series (you may know them from Hallmark movies),  Teri Wilson’s book about a beauty pageant is thoroughly funny, entertaining and romantic and would be perfect for teen/college aged readers on up.

Amazon || Apple Books

Any excuse for a Miss Congeniality GIF

And this one too!

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly

Amazon || Apple Books

So technically this book doesn’t come out until January 8, 2019 but do yourself (and the reader you love) a favor and pre-order it. It’s a fantastic story about the inspiring women  who protected London during World War II and their heartbreak, sacrifice and friendships.  

There are no funny GIFs about WWII and the Blitz but this one came up when I searched for “Women Fighting Nazis” so I guess it will do…

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Amazon || Apple Books

I’ve always followed politics and probably knew of Barack Obama before a lot of people had heard of him. I remember there was a column I read about how his wife, Michelle, was far more successful and accomplished than he, and that if he were to run for President, they expected her to be the first candidate’s wife to keep her job. Of course, she ended up being a fairly traditional and active First Lady but that original impression of her always stuck with me – that she was the brains in the marriage.  I am very excited to read (and give!) this memoir to learn more about this half of the former White House power couple.

Any excuse for my favorite world leader friendship GIF…

Together – Our Community Cookbook – HRH The Duchess of Sussex

Amazon

When I heard about this cookbook project, I knew I would love it. It supports a community of women who banded together to provide fresh food to their neighbors after a horrific tragedy. And it was announced by The Duchess of Sussex at an event where Prince Harry was caught stealing samosas so what’s not to love? (Watch it here)

Speaking of stealing food… turnabout’s fair play…

Whiskey in a Tea Cup by Reese Witherspoon

Amazon || Apple Books

I don’t buy every celebrity memoir, but I love the ones from celebrities I adore (usually the funny smart women – Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, Shonda Rhimes). So of course Reese Witherspoon’s book instantly made the cut. Part memoir, part lifestyle guide, it reminds me of all the quirky things about being a modern Southern woman. We may be educated, independent businesswomen, but some rules about etiquette and fashion and food are still deeply ingrained in us. This book would be a great gift to anyone who loves Elle Woods.

Any excuse for an Elle Woods quote…

The Royal Runaway

Yes, my book IS the perfect Christmas gift for your girlfriends, daughters and sisters who fell head over heels during the royal weddings in 2018.  The book is a blend of mystery, adventure, and romance so there’s something for every type of reader!

Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||Apple || Amazon UK || Kobo

Any excuse for a royal wedding clip….

Best Books to Read Now: October 2018

Is there anything better than a crisp autumn day and an excellent book?

The answer is, NO. There is not. Because autumn is prime reading season, I thought I’d get back to sharing my recommendations of what I’ve read and what is next on my TBR list!

The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick

Amazon || Apple Books

The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick is a fabulous book for fall. It has everything - Tudor history, a dash of romance, a mystery, and time-travel! I have been recommending this one to a lot of people so if you read it, please let me know how you like it! I’d love to talk about it.

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

Amazon || Apple Books

I just realized I recommended this one at the end of the summer, as well. HA! That’s how you know it’s good. Still, as mentioned in my Women With Books episode with Chanel Cleeton (she’s the one who finally got me to start the series), this is really the perfect book to enjoy snuggled up on a dreary day with a hot cup of tea.

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? by Alyssa Mastromonaco

Amazon || Apple Books

One of the things that gets me to recommend a book is if I cannot get it out of my mind. And this is one of those. No, it’s not a great literary piece or a fast-paced thriller or steamy romance. It’s an easy to read, funny yet thoughtful memoir of one of the most senior White House staffers for President Obama. As we go through yet another divisive political season, I think more of us should read books like this one, that remind us what government (and politics) looks like through an insider’s lens and how it can be used for good. And yes, I think people of all political stripes can find something to enjoy in this one.

TBR PILE!

What’s next on my to-read list? I’ve been saving these two as a reward for when I get my edits done (which should be ANY DAY NOW!!)

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

Amazon || Apple Books

My Favorite Half Night Stand - by Christina Lauren

Amazon || Apple Books

So I’ve been anxiously awaiting both of the above, since I interviewed Jasmine (last JANUARY?? Has it been that long???) and C.Lo this summer. (You can find both podcast episodes here: Women With Books.) These authors know how to bring me tears and laughs with their modern romances and I know it will be exactly what I need after I RIP MY HEART OUT (sorry - I meant to say, ‘finish my edits.’)

And of course, I can’t let a “Best Fall Books To Read” blog go by without mentioning that my book, THE ROYAL RUNAWAY has been included in several “best of” lists!

Check these out!
Bookbub’s 18 Best Fall Romances

Get Literary’s Five October Fiction Picks

AND…

In Style’s Ten Books You Won’t Be Able To Put Down This October

 The Royal Runaway!

Amazon : http://amzn.to/2EhFPuz

BN.Com: http://bit.ly/TRRBN

Simon & Schuster: http://bit.ly/RoyalRunaway

Apple : http://bit.ly/TheRoyalRunaway

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2xQNdrl

Kobo: http://bit.ly/TRRKobo

So go on - what are you waiting for? I give you permission to joyfully purchase all the books that will make your heart warm and fluttery this autumn.

Best Books to Read Now: 2018 Women With Books Summer Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Earlier this summer, I introduced the 2018 WOMEN WITH BOOKS SUMMER READING CHALLENGE!
 

Did you do it? What did you read? 
I sort of accidentally completed the challenge, and I talk all about it on the Season 3 opener of my podcast, Women With Books. Check out the episode here. And while you're listening, these are the books I discuss....
 

A royal book! 

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

Amazon || Apple Books

BEACH BOOKS

Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams

Amazon || Apple Books

New To You Genre

Prisoner of the Crown by Jeffe Kennedy

Amazon || Apple Books

A Diverse / Inclusive Read And Debut Author
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
 

Amazon || Apple Books

 

A Book that Inspired a Movie/ TV Show

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan:  Amazon || iBooks

A Book with A Pretty Dress on the Cover

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean

Amazon || Apple Books

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

 

Amazon || Apple Books

Book from a Former Women With Books Guest
Check out Tessa Dare's, Sarah MacLean's and Jeffe Kennedy's books, above!

I'd love to hear if you read anything good this summer and I definitely recommend the above books so go ahead and add them to your TBR pile! And while you're one-clicking, make sure you reserve your copy of my next release... THE ROYAL RUNAWAY!  Anyone who has good taste in books will enjoy it! 
 

Best Books to Read Now: Princesses, Queens, & Royal Romance!

As you may have heard by now, my next book features a Royal princess, a sexy spy and kissing.  And you might also know that when I started to write it, I didn't originally set out to write a so-called "royal" book (See: How I got the Idea.)

Click to get your own copy of The Royal Runaway!

But thanks to #Royalwedding fever, and royal fans around the world, I have been joyfully swept up in all things royal romance related. 

So I thought I'd bring you a list of books to read if you're prince or princess obsessed. 

Non fiction / Historical Princesses & Queens

Marie Antoinette : Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser
Queen Elizabeth I: The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir

Queen Victoria: Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
Princess Diana: Diana Her True Story in her Own Words by Andrew Morton

For Kids and the Young at Heart

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

The Time-Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie-Antoinette by Bianca Turetsky

Modern Contemporary Royal Stories

Royally Wed by Teri Wilson

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
 

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Command Me, Book 1 of the Royals Saga by Geneva Lee

For more discussion about the above books, check out the podcast episodes I did with all the authors at Womenwithbooks.com.

And for more royal romance reading discussion, check out Royally Broke's Royally Good Reads Book Club on Facebook, mentioned here. 

Got more recommendations? Princesses and queens you love to read about? Share them below! 

Best Books to Read Now: How to FIND GOOD BOOKS (on sale!)

Where do readers find books?

If you like to read, there’s a good chance that you’ve looked around and asked yourself, “where do other readers find good books?”  Or more importantly, “where do other readers find good books on sale?”

With the hibernation of the American brick and mortar bookstore, it can be hard to discover new authors and their new releases. I mean, you can’t just wander into Waldenbooks or Borders (or in some cases a convenient Barnes and Noble) anymore. And the selections at Target and Wal-Mart are great but they don’t usually cover all genres. You’d be hard pressed to find the latest science fiction series at Target, for example. And if you wanted the first 6 books in a series? Yeah, no. 

So you turn to the internet booksellers. And while Amazon might have every book ever written, that’s a little…. Overwhelming. And it may not solve your original problem. 

So how do I find the perfect book to read? 

1. Follow me! On both this blog and my podcast, WOMEN WITH BOOKS, I’m always giving recommendations and if I see those books on sale, I try to post them on my facebook page. 

2. Goodreads - Probably the largest social media/ website that’s centered around books, it can still be tough to find exactly the book you want to read. There are lists, there are contests, there are groups and you can browse all of them. Anyone can post ‘the top 200 books about cats in Quebec” and that’s awesome to have that space but it can be hard for a reader who’s specifically looking for something. 

My best advice? Follow the authors you already love. Start friending them  and others who like the same books you do. You’ll see what other people are reading and loving. For instance, if you friend me on Goodreads, you’ll be able to easily see what I’ve read for my GR reading challenge this year. 

Then sign up for the Goodreads newsletters for your preferred genre. They can still be incomplete, but you will start to see what’s coming out and what looks good and what’s on sale. 

Also -Amazon now owns Goodreads. So you never know what cool functionality (or sales updates) you’ll see between the two sites in the future. 

3. Bookbub - this is primarily still an e-mail newsletter that will notify you of sales on books in the genres that you select. But in the past year or so, Bookbub has added several new features that I really enjoy. You can follow your favorite authors and when they have a new release, Bookbub will e-mail you. Also, Bookbub will notify you if your favorite authors recommend books, and what they are. Interested? Sign up and try following me to see what happens to your TBR pile. 

4. Amazon - the behemoth of online booksellers also offers some of the same features as Bookbub. For instance, you can follow authors (my profile here) and Amazon says you’ll get a notification of their new book releases. When THE ROYAL RUNAWAY  went up on pre-order, a reader let me know that she learned about it from an Amazon e-mail - which is AWESOME. But I’ve heard other authors say that they’re not sure their readers are notified regularly. So if there’s an author that you absolutely can’t miss, best practice is probably to follow them at Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon - a belt and suspenders approach, if you will. 

The other recommendation I have at Amazon would be to sign up for their Kindle Daily Deals e-mail. These sales can often be exclusive to Amazon, which means that Bookbub might not feature them. You have to act fast though - when Amazon puts books on sale, it might be a quick flash and then the deal is gone. 

So those are my best recommendations for finding awesome new books (on sale!) to read. I know it might sound like you have to sign up for everything, but I promise you, authors and booksellers are so excited to put the perfect book into a reader’s hands. I know nothing makes me happier. 

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

You know what else makes me happy? When readers like you pre-order my latest book! Or add it to their Goodreads shelf! Or put it on their Amazon wishlist! All of these things help signal to my publisher and retailers that this is a book that people will love. 

And it is. Don’t you trust my judgment yet?