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Book Club

#iwsgbookclub Sept. 2021 Micro Discussions

Please join the IWSG Book Club today on Goodreads for two short discussions about the two books we featured in the month of September, there’s still another week left in this month so there’s no rush. We are hosting 3 short questions for each book we featured and encourage you to share your reviews and or thoughts. Discussions will remain open indefinitely, so stop by anytime, even if you haven’t read the book(s). Scroll down for a small surprise. 

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Parallels: Felix Was Here, an IWSG Anthology. Please click the image below to join the short discussion.

Find it on Amazon.

Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime an IWSG Anthology. Please click the image below to join the short discussion.

Find it on Amazon.

Because I was able to acquire some special questions from the winning author of the Tick Tock contest Gwen Gardner (A Stitch in Crime), I have a few more questions to share here for anyone interested (She provided the questions and my (Toi) answers are in italics). Comment below with your answers and please be sure to visit the group discussions if you have a chance.

Thank you Gwen Gardner for the following questions:

A Stitch in Crime is a cozy mystery and has a happy, feel-good, ending. Given the chaotic state of the world, do you prefer this gentler approach, or do you prefer a harsher, more twisty or ambiguous ending?

I enjoyed the feel-good ending to this story. There is a place and time for something harsher, which we get later in the anthology, but I thought it was refreshing to start the collection off this way.

A Stitch in Crime is character-driven, featuring Indigo Eady, the ghost-whispering sleuth, and her sidekick, Franny Bishop, the ghost of a former madam of some repute. Do you prefer stories that are character-driven, or do you read for plot/mystery first?

I do enjoy a good mystery. I’ve read countless stories where I didn’t care about the characters but enjoy the plot. In this case, I feel the characters are what really make the story work.

A Stitch in Crime is one of the few paranormal stories in the anthology. Do you prefer a ghostie or two to “liven” things up? Or do you prefer more realistic stories?

I feel I’m right down the middle when it comes to this question. While speculative genres are my usual read, when it comes to mystery, I don’t need the additional supernatural elements- not that I’m complaining. I may not need them, but I do enjoy them when they show up in a good mystery.

~

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
Books

What I Read in June & July 2021

In June & July 2021, I read 1 nonfiction book, 1 science fiction, 1 anthology (fantasy), 1 crime thriller, 1 graphic novel, and a short story (contemporary drama). Check it out… Sorry I skipped July without an explanation or better planning.

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 36 books toward
her goal of
50 books.
hide

Below you’ll find my star ratings and review blurbs for each title I completed in the indicated month. If you have not signed up for my newsletter, please consider doing so. That’s where I post my thorough book reviews (and sometimes TV and movie stuff) as well as talk about my love of reading while offering tips for having a healthy reading lifestyle. You can also click the Goodreads links to see the thorough reviews. At the bottom of this post, you’ll also be able to watch a video of my monthly reviews, if that’s more your style.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

4.0 – Some good writing exercises.

 

Goodreads | Amazon

5.0 – Many twists and endings 😉

 

Goodreads | Amazon

5.0 – Only read An Imperfect Family by Tricia Drammeh

 

Goodreads | Amazon

5.0 – Still processing this one.

 

Goodreads | Amazon

4.0 – I wanted more of these stories.

 

Goodreads | Amazon

5.0 – Zombie sophistication!

 

Goodreads | Amazon

You can watch my update video here. Click below to watch my review video.

So, did you read any good books in June & July?

What did you think of the ones I read?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
Promotion

Book Blast: Death of a Sculptor in Hue, Shape and Color #mystery

Color-coded love stories and revealing female anatomies lead to the murder of world-renowned sculptor, Bruce Jones.

In life, the artist loved women, almost as much as women loved him. Adored for his art and colorful personality, Bruce is mourned by the world at large. The tale is launched with the multifaceted perspectives of four ex-wives, the current wife, and his new love interest and their children.

Mary, Bruce’s wealthy first love, is always in perfect pink; the color of love. Mother of Clair the famous actress and Aaron the corporate lawyer.

Leslie The Second’s color is yellow for her sunny nature as much as for her fears and insecurities. Her only son Bobby is vulnerable and lost. Mourning his father’s death, he finds himself.

Petra The Third, is outstanding in orange, representing not only her native Holland but also her love of the fruit. Cherished her freedom and had no children of her own.

Toni The Fourth is a vibrant passionate Italian red and part of the eventual glue that creates and solidifies this dysfunctional Jones family. Her teenage daughters Tina and Isa are as different as night and day.

Brooke The Fifth a gold-digger. Green, her color, reflects the color of money and envy. Her young son’s Kyle and Caleb are too young to understand why their world has been turned upside-down.

Mara, as blue as the ocean was the last woman to steal Bruce’s heart. Mother to newborn Baby Peter is the unexpected gift and surprise.

Bruce Jones’ eight children speak out, too. They are as distinctive as the women he loved, their mothers.

Loose ends are tied up by the insights of Sylvia, Aaron’s wife and a trusted keeper of secrets; Scott, the private investigator and family friend; Nona, the quintessential grandmother everyone loves but to whom few are truly related; and Detective Jim Miller who will not rest until he discovers Bruce Jones’ murderer.

Buy on Amazon  | Free on Kindle Unlimited

See my 4-star review of this book on Goodreads.com

M.C.V. Egan is the pen name chosen by Maria Catalina Vergara Egan. Catalina is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. Catalina has lived in various countries and is fluent in four languages; Spanish, English, French and Swedish.

Her first book The Bridge of Deaths revolves around her maternal grandfather’s death in 1939. A true-life pre-WWII event. It has over 200 footnotes with the resources of her extensive search through Archival materials as well as the use of psychometry and past life regressions. It is more fact than fiction.

The revised edition of The Bridge of Deaths: A Love Story And A Mystery, focuses on the storyline as opposed to fact, but all footnotes and facts are available through the website for any curious minds. www.thebridgeofdeaths.com

Defined by Others taps into the dark quirky side found even in the best of people. With the 2012 American elections as a backdrop and the fearless reassurance that the world might end on December 12, 2012, as predicted by the Mayan Calendar.

Death of a Sculptor; in Hue, Shape, and Color is a novella written in sixteen different voices. It is a murder mystery. She is currently working on a sequel; Bruce (title subject to change).

M.C.V. Egan lives and works in South Florida. She is married and has a teenage son. You can find M.C.V. Egan everywhere online.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords