Thursday, December 5
Come meet the amazing Marisha Pessl, a New York Times bestselling author, on Thursday, Dec. 5th at 6PM!
Location
Books & Greetings
271 Livingston Street Northvale, NJ 07647
Purchase ticket here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-new-york-times-bestselling-author-marisha-pessl-thursday-dec-5th-6pm-tickets-1090051185439?aff=oddtdtcreator
Goodreads Blurb
In this enchanting holiday novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer, family and friends gather on Nantucket for a gorgeous winter wedding with plenty of merry surprises in store.
As Christmas draws near, Felicia returns to her family’s home on the island to marry her adventurous, rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every detail is picture-perfect for a dream wedding: the snow-dusted streets, twinkling lights in the windows, a gorgeous red and white satin dress. Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her mother, Jilly, wants. Jilly’s also worried that her daughter’s life with daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving. Wondering if their handsome neighbor Steven Hardy might be a more suitable son-in-law, Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and the dashing stockbroker.
As the big day approaches and Jilly’s older daughter, Lauren, appears with rambunctious kids in tow, tensions in the household are high. With the family careening toward a Yuletide wedding disaster, an unexpected twist in Nancy Thayer’s heartwarming tale reminds everyone about the true meaning of the season.
My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great story. I really enjoyed it. Jilly is a mother of two who is always following a schedule and is a neat freak. She wants the best for her daughters but doesn’t feel that Archie is the perfect husband for her daughter Felicia. I definitely can relate to this book in my personal life. Jilly felt that her neighbor, who was best friends with Felicia when she was younger, was the perfect husband. A man who was wealthy and good-looking. I was laughing when I found out he liked the opposite sex. It took Jilly by surprise and brought her back to reality. After the whole incident by the river with her grandkids was when she saw how strong Archie was and that he fit right in with her family. Sometimes, you just have to let people make their decisions and get to know people before judging them. It was a great book that taught me to make my own decisions regardless if you are getting advice from a family member. Only you can feel and see what you feel for that special person in your life.
Author Biography
Nancy Thayer has published 35 novels, including Family Reunion and Secrets in Summer. She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for 38 years with her husband Charley Walters. They have two children and five grandchildren.
Holly Homicide
Welcome to Holiday Junction—where the tinsel sparkles, the cocoa flows, and Christmas cheer is served with a side of murder.
Violet Rhinehammer, journalist and Holiday Junction’s resident sleuth, thought she was covering this year’s festive happenings at the town’s beloved lodge. But when local artist is found dead, her cozy holiday plans melt away faster than snow on a warm sidewalk. With suspicious notes, family secrets, and a stolen ornament design at the heart of the mystery, everyone seems to have a motive.
With her trusty notebook in hand and the charming lawyer Darren Strickland by her side—whether he’s helping or distracting her, she’s still not sure.
Violet dives headfirst into the investigation. As they sift through suspects, dodge Southern Charm reporters, and uncover secrets hidden beneath the lodge’s tunnels, the snow-covered streets of Holiday Junction start to feel a little less jolly… and a whole lot more dangerous.
Can Violet solve the case in time to enjoy the tree lighting and her first romantic Christmas date? Or will this Christmas be Violet’s last?
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Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is now available in stores. Let’s start the holiday season with a magical read.
Goodreads Blurb
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’Tis the season! The Crown meets When Harry Met Sally and Bridget Jones’s Diary, in the latest heartwarming historical novel from Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, bestselling authors of Meet Me in Monaco and Three Words for Goodbye.
December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue in the tradition of her late father and grandfather’s beloved Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must move with the times, and the Queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change.
As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, two old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—find themselves reunited for the festivities. A single mother, typist at the BBC, and aspiring reporter, Olive leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, despite self-doubts. When a chance encounter with the Queen presents an exciting opportunity, Olive begins to believe her luck might change.
Jack, a grief-stricken widowed chef originally from New Orleans, accepts a last-minute chance to cook in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. When he bumps into a long-lost friend, an old spark is reignited.
Despite personal and professional heartache, Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmas seasons and they find themselves growing ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret.
Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, Olive decides to reveal the shocking truth of her secret, which threatens to tear her and Jack apart forever. Unless Christmas has one last gift to deliver…
Author Biography
Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning New York Times, USA Today, Globe and Mail and Irish Times bestselling author known for her deeply moving historical novels which explore the defining events of the 20th century.
Her Titanic inspired debut, The Girl Who Came Home, won the 2015 RNA Historical Novel award, and her work has since been shortlisted for the 2019 HWA Gold Crown and for the Irish Book Awards in 2017, 2020 and 2023.
Her latest novel, The Last Lifeboat, was included as a Times of London historical novel of the month pick in June 2023, was shortlisted for the 2023 Irish Book Awards, and received the 2024 Audie Award for Best Fiction Narrator.
Hazel’s co-written historical novels with Heather Webb have all been published to critical acclaim, winning or being shortlisted for several international awards. Their latest collaboration, Christmas With the Queen, will be published in November 2024.
Hazel’s work is translated into twenty languages and is published in twenty-seven territories to date. She lives in Ireland with her family.
For more information, visit http://www.hazelgaynor.com
where you can also sign up for her newsletter.
Come Meet @ellemacpherson – Iconic Supermodel will sign her new book: ELLE – Tuesday, Nov. 19th @ 6pm. Don’t miss this one!
#author #celebrity #ridgewoodnj #bookstore #NewJersey #supermodel #booksignings
The event will be held at Bookends 211 E Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.
Goodreads Blurb
In the dazzling world of fashion, Elle Macpherson is synonymous with elegance, grace and timeless beauty. Growing up in Sydney shaped her formative years, imbuing her with her inimitable ‘give it a go’ Aussie spirit, which has driven all she’s done as an iconic model, businesswoman and wellness advocate.
At nineteen, Elle moved to New York, where she became a muse for prestigious photographers and designers, acted in a succession of film and TV roles, and co-founded Intimates – a lingerie collection that garnered global success. She moved to London with her partner and had her two beloved sons.
But behind the glamour and Elle’s embrace of motherhood, she was struggling – with ever-present insecurities, growing anxiety and the exhaustion of melding parties, modelling, running a business and motherhood. She knew she must take steps to change her life – forever.
Elle embarked on a physical, emotional and spiritual journey which she remains on to this day, having overcome adversities and illness in the years since she made her unwavering commitment to authenticity. And now, in this soul-expanding book, branded with her irrepressible humour and spirit, she is ready to share her hard-won wisdoms, so that we might all flourish in self-growth, expanding, rebalancing and being our authentically unique selves.
Goodreads Blurb
For a little girl named Susan, Christmas could be any other day. She doesn’t believe in Santa Claus or magic or miracles of any kind. Then one day she meets Kriss Kringle. As she doubtfully tells him the gifts she most wishes for, deep down Susan finds herself hoping that just maybe, he is the real thing. Based on the original holiday classic, Miracle on 34th Street is a heartwarming story about generosity, imagination, and the spirit of Christmas.
My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars
This is the best classic ever written. I loved the illustrations and are amazing with vivid colors. Makes the story come to life. It is a must-read to all the children for Christmas. Santa Claus is real, if you believe him to be.
Author Biography
Valentine Davies (August 25, 1905 – July 23, 1961) was an American film and television writer, producer, and director. His film credits included Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Chicken Every Sunday (1949), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), and The Benny Goodman Story (1955). He was nominated for the 1954 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Glenn Miller Story.
Davies was born in New York City, served in the Coast Guard, and graduated from the University of Michigan. He wrote a number of Broadway plays and was president of the Screen Writers Guild and general chairman of the Academy Awards program.
He wrote the story for the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which was given screen treatment by the director, George Seaton. Davies also did a novelization of the story, which was published as a novella by Harcourt Brace & Company in conjunction with the film release. Miracle on 34th Street earned him an Academy Award for Best Story.
Goodreads Blurb
Se7en Deadly SEALs have all betrayed me
6ix months of my life have been wasted on a lie
5ive minutes since I learned the truth about my brother
4our hours ago Grant confessed to murder he didn’t commit
Thre3 years ago I was raped by a man I trusted
2wo days since I married the love of my life
1ne shot to rescue my son
Zer0 chance Grant can save me now
My son’s life is in danger and his survival depends on me pulling off the most important performance of my career. I must convince a psychopath that I covet him.
This is Book 7 in the best selling Se7en Deadly SEALs series and completes season one of the series. This episode does not have a cliffhanger.
My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars
This was a well plotted mini series that kept me hooked to the very end. There were so many secrets, deceit, action, love, and forgiveness. I couldn’t believe the turn of events, but now Mia and Grant can live the life they always wanted. Life can change people, even those we trust the most. May forgiveness and hope make life less complicated.
Author Biography
Alana Albertson is a multi-award winning author, current President of Romance Writers of America’s Contemporary Romance Chapter and the former President of both Romance Writers of America’s Young Adult and Chick Lit chapters. Alana Albertson holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, Alana currently writes contemporary romance, new adult and young adult fiction. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and four dogs. When she’s not spending her time playing with her sons, dancing, or saving dogs from high kill shelters through Pugs N Roses, the rescue she founded, she can be found watching episodes Homeland, Devious Maids, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.
As a fan of Virgin River and getting a chance to meet my favorite character, Doc, it was a fangirl moment. Might I add, he is so handsome, I love him. Tim was so kind and friendly. It’s an experience you don’t always get when meeting celebrities. He took a moment to ask me where my name originated from, and he told me the upcoming series for Virgin River is the best one yet. I started reading his memoir, and I am enjoying it. I so far read about his humble upbringing and the struggles he went through growing up. The book gives you a welcoming feeling with a front row seat to Hollywood and those amazing actors during the 50s Era we all grew up loving. Right now, the chapter I am reading talks about I Love Lucy and how he learned how to sharpen his acting skills by watching these amazing actors and comedians. Do check out his new book. You will love it. Stay tuned for my review.
Goodreads Blurb
For the past seven decades, Tim Matheson has been an on-screen favorite in Hollywood. In his debut memoir, Tim takes fans behind-the-scenes of his illustrious career, and reveals what it was like to learn from and work alongside the greats, including Lucille Ball, Dick Van Dyke, Steven Spielberg, and Aaron Sorkin. Tim also talks about how he transitioned from acting to directing, the role in The West Wing that nabbed him two Emmy nominations–and so much more.
Filled to the brim with both riveting stories of the ever-changing entertainment industry and illuminating insight via “film school boot camp” sidebars, readers everywhere are going to be “damn glad” they read this fascinating memoir.
BOOK DETAILS:
52 Weeks a Party of One
by Bianca Pensy Aba
Publication date: April 23, 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary
Synopsis:
Aisha isn’t known to hold her tongue, but that’s until she finds out her boyfriend and her best friend are having an affair on New Year’s Eve. This sends her packing. She leaves Denver and moves to Dallas to have the time and space to process the betrayal.
Spending time alone also spotlights other issues she has been trying to conceal: her broken relationship with her mother, her growing apart from her brother, and the impact of her late absentee father on her life.
Aisha is overwhelmed by everything, so instead of using her time away to “do the work,” she spends weeks putting it off and indulging in every possible distraction—until she hits a wall.
Aisha will have to either confront the ghosts from her past before the year ends or continue to pretend they aren’t there and let them haunt her until the very end.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220300883-52-weeks-a-party-of-one
Pre-order: https://amzn.to/4elkJHB
Request an ARC: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYshLDdqjECQ7PXUNjDFKED_Li09D0bM1huVArmx8LHxYiJA/viewform
AUTHOR BIO:
BIANCA PENSY ABA was born on May 27, 1993, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. She lived in her native country until she turned eighteen. She graduated from Graceland University in 2017. She was a college athlete who played sports most of her life. Her second love was basketball. Her first was writing. She is the author of ACROSS BOTH SIDES OF THE MIRROR and 52 WEEKS A PARTY OF ONE. She lives in Allen, Texas, where she enjoys picnicking, reading, hiking, watching terrible dating shows, sipping a glass of wine on her balcony, and doing whatever else she is in the mood for.
Author links:
https://www.biancapensyaba.com/
https://www.instagram.com/biancapensyabawrites/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092602417696
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29849002.Bianca_Pensy_Aba
I’m so excited that Shelby will be coming to Paramus, Barnes & Noble, in April. This was my favorite book this year. It was released about two years ago, but it’s a must-read.
In Store
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 6:00 PM ET
Please join us in welcoming author Shelby Van Pelt as she celebrates the release of Remarkably Bright Creatures in paperback!
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in the Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors – until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
634 N State Route 17Paramus, NJ 07652
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My Review:
This outstanding book brought me so much joy. It’s been a while since I devoured a book in three days, not allowing me to take a break from this heartwarming story. This book gave me all the emotions, with characters who stole my heart. Shelby created characters who made us want to know more about their stories. I learned early on how this story was going to unravel. I was happy with how the story turned out.
The leading character, Marcellus, who happens to be a giant Pacific octopus, makes the story interesting with his countdown to the end of his life. I was sad that, as the reader, you knew his death was imminent, but his smarts and skills will show the powers these beautiful creatures have. It was great learning more about the lifespan and abilities of an octopus.
This story is a rollercoaster of emotions. It follows a son who never knew his father, and his mom abandoned him. He searches for his possible father after locating a picture and a high school class ring. You have a seventy-year-old widow who had lost her husband and her son who died a mysterious death when he was eighteen. This story beautifully weaves together these broken hearts who lost a lot but have so much to give to each other. Marcellus (the octopus) helps the characters figure out the mystery between these two lives, which brings new opportunities and locates what they lost. The characters’ growth and resilience throughout the story will leave you feeling hopeful.
I loved Tova Sullivan’s strength in pushing through the loss of her family and working hard at her age in the aquarium. His mother’s actions scarred Cameron Cassmore. He was a lost character trying to make it through the day in hopes of locating his happiness. I have a fascination for all sea creatures and was so happy I got to spend some quality time with Marcellus, the hero of this story. Marcellus days were outnumbered, but that didn’t stop him from making Tova realize who Cameron was to her. His friendship with Tova meant a lot to him. His memory of Erik, Tova’s son, made him want to bring Tova joy again. This is a magical story that will brighten your life.
FabulousReader4Ever 