November? November!!

It's hard to believe we're in the month of November.....the pumpkins and witches are now a thing of the past and I'm pulling out my turkey platters and planning ahead for our family Thanksgiving feast.

 I know these recent weeks have been difficult for parts of the US that were hit hard by the hurricane, and all I can say is that I know from experience that somehow you find the strength to do what is necessary to pick up the pieces and move on. My thoughts are with those families who have lost so much.

On the brighter side of things,  I have been enjoying collecting and reading so many anticipated titles that have recently been released......

I just finished Deanna Raybourn's Christmas e-novella, Silent Night, and, as always, enjoyed the spark and spice in the relationship of Lady Julia and her beloved Brisbane.  It's a light, quick read that will take you back to Bellmont Abbey at Christmastime with all the sensory experiences of the season....and, of course, a very light mystery.

The latest installment of Tasha Alexander's historical mystery series featuring Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves, Death in the Floating City, is recently released and on my shelf.  While I think the first three books in the series are the strongest and most compelling, I'm still impressed with Tasha Alexander's very elegant writing style and interested in following the sleuthing couple to their next adventure in Venice.

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Also new on my shelf (and I can't wait to get lost in the pages) is the re-release of Judith Merkle Riley's The Oracle Glass, a novel set is 17th century France. "For a handful of gold, Madame de Morville will read your future in a glass of swirling water. You'll believe her, because you know she's more than 150 years old and a witch, and she has all of Paris in the palm of her hand....."  

 I love stories set in the Old South and this one came to me from a friend's recommendation: Iron Lace by Emilie Richards.

"When Aurore Gerritsen watched her lover kill her father, it was just one act of violence in a long chain of dramatic events.

Years later, behind the iron lace gates of wealthy New Orleans, beneath the veneer of her society name, linger secrets that Aurore Gerritsen has hidden for a lifetime, and truths that threaten to change forever the lives of her unsuspecting family. Now, as Aurore faces her own mortality, she needs to reveal those secrets that have haunted her for so many years.

Aurore seeks out Phillip Benedict and asks him to tell her story. He's intrigued, but wonders why the matriarch of a prominent white family would choose to confess her sins to an outspoken black journalist.

Finally Phillip agrees, but though he thinks he's ready for anything she might say, the truth is that nothing can prepare him for the impact of Aurore's shocking revelations."

(from Goodreads)

 My daughter and I are going into town today for an afternoon performance of  Les Miserables at the theatre, and hopefully I will spend the evening settling back into Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper.

Have a wonderful Sunday!