A Paranormal Women's Fiction with a bit of class and a lot of sass, for anyone who feels like age is just a number!
Every woman goes through changes in their forties. Just not… these changes.
Robin Brannon was a normal wife, mom, and antique-shop owner until a brush with death turned her day-to-day life upside down. Now she and her two best friends are seeing things that belong in a fantasy novel. Ghosts. Visions. Omens of doom. Nothing that belongs in the peaceful mountain town they call home.
Added to that, Robin’s marriage is on the rocks, her grandmother’s health is failing, her mother is driving away the customers at her shop, her teenage daughter refuses to get her driver’s license, and her left knee aches every darn morning.
Robin doesn’t have the time, energy, or knees to unearth the secrets buried at the bottom of Glimmer Lake, but fate doesn’t seem to care. Some secrets are just dying to be exposed.
Suddenly Psychic is stand-alone paranormal women’s fiction and the first book in the Glimmer Lake series by USA Today best seller, Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Elemental Mysteries.
MY THOUGHTS
The term “go-to” is one that readers rely on to describe an author whose work they can always count on to entertain them. Elizabeth Hunter is that for me. In fact, she is my only paranormal go-to author. ⠀ Suddenly Psychic is the first in her new Glimmer Lake Series and her first with the Paranormal Women’s Fiction group. The heroine of this installment is a forty-five-year-old woman, wife, mother, artist, and antique store owner, Robin Brannon. She’s feeling achy, ignored by her husband, and wondering if she is a bad mother. She’s BORED and asking herself things like, “Is this my life?” “Am I a ghost in my own house?” (If only she was psychic, eh?!) ⠀ Robin and her two besties, Monica and Val, literally end up underwater and near death. From then on life is like a fantasy novel. Are they experiencing PTSD or do they have...psychic powers?! 😱 ⠀ I loved how each used their new “talents” to help solve a fascinating family/town mystery and how Robin changed her family dynamic. So much so that “Is this my life?” takes on a whole new meaning—EXTRAORDINARY!
HIGHLIGHTS
Robin had nearly drowned and was now seeing ghosts. Apparently. Who could possibly have trouble sleeping after that?
~*~
She felt a wave of gratitude for her husband. He might not be perfect, but neither was she. When anyone needed help, Mark was always the first to volunteer. How many people could you say that about? He didn’t always say the right things, but he did the right things. Most of the time.
The bestselling historical fiction from Kim Michele Richardson, this is a novel following Cussy Mary, a packhorse librarian and her quest to bring books to the Appalachian community she loves, perfect for readers of Lee Smith and Lisa Wingate. The perfect addition to your next book club!
The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything—everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.
Cussy's not only a book woman, however, she's also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she's going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.
Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's belief that books can carry us anywhere—even back home.
MY THOUGHTS (Short and Sweet)
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is one of those books that both fiction and non-fiction readers will get much out of. The history is well researched and the fictional characters are vividly portrayed. Cussy Mary Carter—the book woman—is an extraordinarily enduring and empathetic character. This poignant novel will certainly leave a lasting impact.
HIGHLIGHTS
The disgrace had fixed itself to my soul like it had life, the rawness, black and heavy like a lump of Kentucky coal that would find its dirty way into our home.
~*~
Pa didn’t have as much as two nickels to rub together, and I know’d he worked eighteen-hour days for two weeks straight for that little extra. The Company didn’t like for the Kentucky man to feel a dollar in his pocket, and they’d pay the miners mostly in Company scrip—credit that could only be used at the Company store—to make sure of just that.
~*~
It didn’t feel right taking the gift. The bread was likely the only thing she had to eat for the week. And food was the most valuable thing you could give someone—the most generous gift a Kaintuck folk could bestow on another.
~*~
Winnie clasped her hands. “If only we could get more outreach programs up here. If only they could send a block of cheese with every book, a loaf of bread.” She tilted her head to the sky as if telling it all to God. I wished it too. Their hunger for books could teach them of a better life free of the hunger, but without food they’d never live long enough or have the strength to find it.
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” – Mortimer J. Adler
Reading is my favorite pastime by far, whether at home or away. This year I accompanied my sister on an epic RV road trip of over five months. Much of that time we were without any cell phone signal. Managing the acquisition and return of Kindle and audiobooks required precise planning with so much time offline. Reading outside with such spectacularly gorgeous scenery made reading extra special and my Kindle was my constant camping companion—for three states and over 5,000 miles! :)
As I haven't discovered a better way of expressing the following, I shall repeat what I said in previous years...
The books I select as my favorites each year are those that: I get lost in; the ones that while reading, I lose all track of time; the ones that evoke the strongest emotions; the ones that make me laugh, cry, blush, gasp, and sigh. Yeah, those books!
Each year I meticulously review my database and Goodreads shelves to select my favorites. Even though I arbitrarily decide upon the categories, I am careful in considering which books deserve each designation.
To all the authors whose stories entertained me this year, and especially those who wrote my favorites below, you've earned my highest esteem, gratitude, and adoration. Thank you!
Sadly, no matter how much I love a book, I am unable to recall details. In other words, although my devotion is clear, my memory is not. I would, indeed, like to attempt to explain my choices to anyone who may be interested.
My 2019 Stats
My Goodreads Challenge total was 236 (first reads and rereads of single titles).
My database total was 194 (first reads only & book bundles are counted as a single title).
There are several books that were published this year that I wanted to read but was unable to, some of which were published late in the year. I may have to make an exception for some of them and include them in next year's list, just as I made an exception this year for 3 books that were published in 2018.
My favorite genre remains romance, but I also enjoy carefully selected mysteries, suspense, thrillers, popular & literary fiction, and memoirs.
In 2019, I finished a total of 91 digital library books (Kindle and audiobooks). I was gifted with a Kindle Unlimited subscription and finished 44 of those, and during the short time I had the Audible Escape Package, I listened to 18 audiobooks. There were 7 books that I did not finish this year.
I'll be starting out 2020 with well over 250 books on my to-be-read shelves—primary and secondary—and nearly 100 books on my library wish list. I've chosen Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston as my first read of 2020 and set my Goodreads Challenge goal at 210 books.
(Note: I receive no monetary compensation. I only wish to show my appreciation. The book links below open up to the corresponding Webpage on Amazon.com.)
The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves (read an ARC and reviewed here in 2018 but published in 2019) Waking Olivia by Elizabeth O'Roark (published in 2016 but discovered in 2019 and reviewed with high praise here)
Series Titles (two or more installments published within 2019)
Since my book database counts a multi-book bundle as a single book, the following is a list of the individual books from within the book bundles I read this year. The remainder of my 2019 book database follows.
Edge of Darkness: The Complete Edge Series (5 Book) Bundle by C.D. Reiss
Cutting Edge (#.5) 03/13/2019 (8 out of 10 stars)
Rough Edge (#1) 03/13/2019 (8 out of 10 stars)
On the Edge (#2) 03/13/2019 (8 out of 10 stars)
Broken Edge (#3) 04/15/2019 (8 out of 10 stars)
Over the Edge (#4) 04/26/2019 (6 out of 10 stars)
Broken Souls (2 Book) Bundle by C.D. Reiss
Secret Sins (#1) 05/12/2019 (6 out of 10 stars)
Sacred Sins (#2) 05/14/2019 (6 out of 10 stars)
Individual First Time Reads of 2019
(The (a) following a book's title designates an audiobook.
Table best viewed in landscape mode on mobile devices.)
All the Books I Read in 2019
After leaving Monterey and driving several hours south on California State Route 1, which is considered one of, if not the most, scenic drives in the world, we drove into Cayucos, Morro Bay, and spied Morro Rock off the coast. What a recognizable natural wonder it is! Our camping destination in Montaña de Oro State Park proved successful when there was just one remaining campsite!
The Roadtrek at Montaña de Oro State Park. Photo by Virginia.
Islay Creek Campground at Montaña de Oro State Park. Photo by Virginia.
[Comment from Margaret: I had heard about Montaña de Oro State Park years ago from equestrian friends who said it was possible to horse camp there and ride a trail down to the beach. I really wanted to do that when I had a horse. Alas, that was not to be, but I'm glad we were able to camp there this time, especially since the night had descended upon us far from any other option!]
We decided to stay a second night to explore a little. The ocean views alone were stunning! While sitting outside reading, I spied several wild turkeys, quail, and cottontail rabbits.
An ocean view at the entrance to Islay Creek Campground. Photo by Virginia.
An ocean view at the entrance to Islay Creek Campground. Photo by Virginia.
The stunning view north from Islay Creek Campground. Photo by Margaret.
The view of Morro Rock, Morro Bay, Cayucos, and the Morro Bay smokestacks was monumental!
The stunning view north from Islay Creek Campground. Photo by Virginia.
We drove out of the campground at 10:30 and fueled up the Roadtrek in Los Osos. Soon after, we were on Highway 154 taking us from the Santa Ynez Valley to Santa Barbara where golden hills covered in oak trees, gorgeous farms, and Cachuma Lake (which was abundantly full of water!) brought back very fond memories of my time in this gorgeous part of my state!
A view of Santa Barbara from Highway 154. Photo by Virginia.
Driving through Ventura County on Highway 101 took us through more areas from our young years. It is still highly agricultural with miles of produce fields. We drove past familiar feed and tack stores and other businesses I patronized in my teens. I was amazed at how similar it looked all these 50 years later!
Total miles of our West Coast States Adventure—5,613.3!
From Highway 101, we took the 405 to the 5 (for non So-Cal folks, that's I-405 and I-5) for the final leg home to San Diego County. After 5 months and one week on our adventure, we drove into our home base at 6:20 p.m. on October 1, 2019. Both Margaret and I consider this trip the adventure of our lifetimes.
The Roadtrek at "home" after our adventure!
The Over the Hill Sisters
We had hoped to take more of these epic trips but several factors prevented that from happening: the pandemic, fires, floods, the Roadtrek needing improvements, and personal health issues.
(Note: This was the final entry on our Over the Hill Sisters blog. To Margaret and anyone else who had been following along, I'm sorry it took me so long to finish recording our fabulous adventure. A heartfelt thanks for your interest! Any future travel, camping, and sightseeing entries will sadly be mine alone and posted directly here on VALEEHILL.)
