What Should You Read Next?
My in-real-life book club recently voted on our favorite books for 2020, and the winners are:
February Online Book Club: Deadly Recall by Donnell Ann Bell
Heart-pounding action mixed with a love story. When nine year old Eden Moran witnesses an unthinkable tragedy, her whole life turns upside down. We meet up with her seventeen years later when she’s a successful attorney living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and police detective Kevin Dancer unearths clues in a cold case that lead back to Eden’s family.
January Online Book Club: Cruel Candy by Mildred Abbott
A quick, fun read and a photogenic dog. A fitting beginning to a new year, Cruel Candy is about Winifred “Fred” Page who resets her life by moving home to scenic Estes Park, Colorado and opening a bookstore. Accompanied by her smart, chubby corgi, Watson, she discovers a dead body before the ink is dry on her new store lease.
2020 Reading Challenge: Interview with Goodreads Power Reader James Cudney
This year, my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal was 36 books and I actually read 39 books. Just when I finished patting myself on the back, I saw that Jay had read 163 books in 2020!
A Day in My Life ~ Cassandra Sato
In my everyday job as Vice President for Student Affairs at Morton College, I’m more comfortable writing meeting minutes, strategic plans, or academic articles for Chronicles of Higher Education than entertaining people with stories about my day. Normally most people would say I lead a pretty boring life.
December Online Book Club: Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran
This story has it all: tragedy, intrigue, conspiracies, murder, and brutality. Also love, kindness, friendship, and the Queen’s courage to fight for her people’s survival.
Four Gifts: A Simpler Way to Give
The Four Gifts idea has been around for a while and with everyone doing more online shopping this year, simple is more relevant than ever.
Grandma’s Apple Pie with Oil Pastry Crust
In Dead of Winter Break, Cassandra celebrates her first Christmas away from her family’s home in Hawai’i. When she and her best friend Meg make pies together, this is the family recipe they use for the Apple Pie.
Book Tour and Apple Pie Recipe
Cassandra Sato’s new dog, Murphy, makes his first internet appearance! And my Grandma Ruth’s Apple Pie and Oil Pastry recipe. Shhh. . . don’t tell my aunts. I don’t want to get into trouble for spilling family secrets.
Dead of Winter Break Release and Blog Tour
Join me in celebrating my victory over pandemic quarantines, couch potato syndrome, and writer’s block. The latest episode in Cassandra Sato’s mystery series is here! Follow the Great Escapes Blog Tour to read interviews, reviews, a family heirloom recipe, and enter a giveaway to win an eBook copy.