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Book Event With Clare Leslie Hall

I had such an amazing time last night at the author event of Clare Leslie Hall at the Paramus Barnes and Noble. We read Brokwn Country a few months ago for the B&N book club, and it was my favorite book for this year so far. I highly recommend you read this book. Below is my book review.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It is a heartbreaking love story filled with secrets that will shatter the lives of the characters and the readers. Clare Leslie Hall is a fantastic storyteller. She captivated the readers with a story filled with so much love that tragedy was unavoidable. I fell in love with each of the characters. I felt like a member of the family watching every tragedy unfold.

The first page of this story grasped my attention. I wanted to know what exactly happened at this farm and who was murdered. Clare divided the story into five different sections. The story begins with Gabriel, followed by Bobby, Jimmy, Frank, and Grace. It then takes us to the trial, weaving through the past and present-day events. The way she drafted the story made the story unravel at the exact time the author was ready to reveal a secret or a tragedy.

Bobby, Beth’s child, is the central figure in this story. His conception, childhood, and the tragedy that ultimately impacts the Johnson family will lead to a love triangle fraught with disaster, shocking readers. Losing a child is an unimaginable experience for any parent, especially when it involves witnessing such a gruesome death. Despite Beth blaming Frank for Bobby’s death, both of them showed remarkable bravery by continuing their marriage.

The story begins with the intense love affair and subsequent breakup between Beth and Gabriel. After their separation, Beth marries Frank, who has always been in love with her. Together, Beth and Frank have a son named Bobby. Bobby is passionate about the outdoors and learns everything he can about farm life. However, the family faces a tragedy when Bobby’s life is cut short.

Meanwhile, Gabriel marries and has a son named Leo. He becomes a famous author and eventually returns to his childhood home. Despite moving on, Beth and Gabriel still feel the lingering sparks from their past romance, which leads to an affair. As Beth connects with Leo, she finds herself grappling with the loss of Bobby.

As secrets unravel, an intense argument culminates in a murder. I won’t spoil the entire story but prepare to be shocked by who pulls the trigger and to witness the strong bonds of love and family throughout the narrative.

The tree featured on the cover of the book plays a significant role in the story. It is a tree that the Johnson family grew up with, where a wedding proposal took place. Unfortunately, a tragedy occurred with the eventual death of the tree and the precious life of an innocent boy. This intense love triangle, with its many secrets and tragedy, will leave you wanting more.

Goodreads Author Biography

Clare Leslie Hall is a novelist and journalist who lives in the wilds of Dorset, England, with her family. Under the name Clare Empson, she published two domestic noir thrillers, Him and Mine, that were published in the UK and Germany. She has always loved The Go Between by LP Hartley and Broken Country is a nod to it, featuring a forbidden love affair with catastrophic repercussions. Broken Country is her US debut.

Review: The Doctor, His Wife, and The Clock

Goodreads Blurb

There is a murder; a blind physician confesses himself the murderer, and to prove that he could shoot a man through the heart offers to hit a small clock placed at a suitable distance, guided only by the sound it makes in striking. The ending is horrible enough to suit even the boy in German folklore who complained that he could not shudder.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

A mystery filled with guilt, love, and anger led to death. I loved that the story was told by the detective who went to the murder scene at the beginning and solved the mystery. True love can lead to horrible tragedies. I was happy to read this book as a first edition novel.

Goodreads Author Biography

Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Born in Brooklyn, New York, her early ambition was to write romantic verse, and she corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson. When her poetry failed to gain recognition, she produced her first and best known novel, The Leavenworth Case (1878). She became a bestselling author, eventually publishing about 40 books. She was in some ways a progressive woman for her time-succeeding in a genre dominated by male writers-but she did not approve of many of her feminist contemporaries, and she was opposed to women’s suffrage. Her other works include A Strange Disappearance (1880), The Affair Next Door (1897), The Circular Study (1902), The Filigree Ball (1903), The Millionaire Baby (1905), The House in the Mist (1905), The Woman in the Alcove (1906), The House of the Whispering Pines (1910), Initials Only (1912), and The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow (1917).

Review: Adventures with Andy & Susie by Donna Hall

Goodreads Blurb

Join Andy in this Victorian Sci-Fi inspired tale set in the far away hills of a family orchard. His curiosity is kindled by hydro-turbines and a tidal-powered city where he attends school. Earth’s endless clean power drives his intellect; while the hills free his adventurous spirit. Susie, the cat, narrates as the watchful conscience to Andy. But, has Andy’s love of adventure taken him too far this time?

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had so much fun reading this book and enjoying the wonderful watercolor illustrations. The pictures were so bright and lovely. I enjoyed the sailing school bus. The story felt futuristic. All readers will truly love this fun adventuris story.

Virtual Event: Philippa Gregory

Wednesday, October 29th at 2:00 PM EDT

Coined as the “queen of British historical fiction,” Philippa Gregory returns to the infamous Tudor Court with a tale that is both timely and timeless. We invite you to sit down with us for an intriguing conversation with Gregory about her newest novel Boleyn Traitor (forthcoming October 14, 2025).

Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor Court, where secrets are currency, every choice is dangerous, and even the faintest whisper can seal the fate of queens.

For Jane, survival demands playing every role required of her: a loving wife who conceals her doubts, a devoted sister to Anne Boleyn at the height of her power, and an obedient spy who carefully wields her words. But in a court ruled by ambition and a tyrant’s sword, Jane must rely on her sharp wit and skillful maneuvering to outthink those around her, knowing that one wrong move could cost her everything.

With a rich tapestry of new historical insights and lyrical language honed over decades of writing, Gregory’s return to the Tudors is a new definition of this most fascinating era. As the world becomes more extreme and unpredictable, Jane’s story of survival and ingenuity offers a

compelling parallel, serving as both a powerful historical narrative and an echo of the challenges we face. This is a riveting tale of loyalty and betrayal, ambition and love—one that should not be missed by readers this fall.

Register today for this exciting glimpse into the perilous 16th century royal court!



About the Author: Dr. Philippa Gregory is one of the world’s foremost historical novelists. She wrote her first ever novel, Wideacre, when she was completing her PhD in eighteenth-century literature and it sold worldwide, heralding a new era for historical fiction. Her flair for blending history and imagination developed into a signature style and Philippa went on to write many bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen.

Dr. Gregory studied history at the University of Sussex and was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh where she is a Regent and was made Alumna of the Year in 2009. She holds an honorary degree from Teesside University, and is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff. Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers’ Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Neilsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. In 2021, she was awarded a CBE for services to literature and to her charity Gardens for the Gambia, and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Link to RSVP for free event: https://libraryc.org/mahwahlibrary/96058/register

Virtual Event: Haunted Homes and Domestic Architecture, 1840s – 1890s 

Exploring 19th-century haunted house tropes, this talk examines how gender, race, and class shape Gothic themes in literature and home life.

Date and time
Thursday, October 16 · 6 – 7pm EDT
Location
Online

About this event
Community • Historic
This virtual lecture will interrogate 19th century notions of ‘the haunted house’ through reading literary text alongside archival material, in an effort to examine where ‘domestic’ culture and ‘domesticity’ were happening tangibly in the home, begging us to consider broader social interactions around gender, race, and class as intrinsic to the Gothic trope we all know so well!

Lawrence Lorraine Mullen holds a PhD in English with a minor in cultural studies from the University at Buffalo and a Masters of Library and Information Science, with a specialization in Archives and Records Management. Their doctoral dissertation triangulated mid-nineteenth century architectural blueprints and American house pattern books, haunted house narratives, and theories of domesticity and domestic space. They were a 2022 Historic Hudson Valley Women’s History Summer Research Fellow and a 2023 American Antiquarian Society Equity Access Fellow.



This virtual talk is FREE.

Registration is required to receive a Zoom link.

Language: this talk will be delivered in English.

Link to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/haunted-homes-and-domestic-architecture-1840s-1890s-tickets-1720713011939?aff=oddtdtcreator

Twilight Anniversary Edition by Stephenie Meyer

If you love Twilight, then you need to purchase this anniversary edition. It comes in a beautiful slipcase, golden edges, and surprise images.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the genre-defining tale, this vintage-inspired collector’s edition features:

Foil-stamped slipcase
Stunning new cover with lush, romantic artwork
New interior art and beautifully illustrated endpapers
Elegant ribbon marker
One-of-a-kind, interactive, gilded-edge design

The cost is 40.00.

Review: Gingerbread Christmas by Jan Brett

Goodreads Blurb

Jan Brett’s beloved character the Gingerbread Baby returns in a fun-filled Christmas caper!

Gingerbread Baby and his friend, Matti, take his gingerbread band to the Christmas Festival where they are a hit! That is until the aroma of gingerbread reaches the children, making them hungry.

That means it is time to run away. Clever Matti uses snow to disguise the gingerbread instruments while Gingerbread Baby leads the audience on a merry chase to the smartest hiding place ever–a giant Christmas tree.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A book that brings joy and cheers to all who read. You might want to bring your own gingerbread to eat, or you might just have to catch the gingerbread baby, only if you can catch him. The illustrations are fascinating and filled with old-fashioned Christmases in Switzerland. I loved the vivid colors and images that made this story one to remember.

Goodreads Author Biography

With over thirty three million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation’s foremost author illustrators of children’s books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.

As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, “I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I’m drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real.”
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. “It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain,” she says. “I’m delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting.”

Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. “From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children’s books.”
–from http://www.janbrett.com