Excerpt: Hollow Stars by Lauryn Dyan

I’m delighted to share an excerpt of Hollow Stars by Lauryn Dyan with you today. Dyan’s debut novel tells the story of Kennedy, lead singer of the rock band Tracing Stars, whose first major tour with the band is derailed when a series of blackouts lands her in a psychiatric hospital. Is she having a breakdown, or is she the victim of sabotage, as she believes?

Too Many Books, Not Enough Time (My Lament and Solution)

The sad truth of being a book blogger is that it’s impossible to read every book that interests you—but you will be constantly tempted by them. ARCs galore are available on Netgalley, Edelweiss, and other sites. Your blogger friends talk about great books all day, every day. Goodreads is a treasure trove for bibliophiles. Last, but certainly not least, review requests come regularly, offering little-known but potentially fascinating books, along with the added opportunity to get the word out about the indie authors who wrote them.

Ellis Island: A People’s History by Małgorzata Szejnert, Sean Gasper Bye (Translator)

Despite my love of history, I never got around to doing any serious reading about Ellis Island. My knowledge consisted mainly of what I was taught in school (most of which I’ve long since forgotten) and random information gleaned from things I read over the years that briefly mentioned its history and purpose, but only in relation to the topic I was reading about at the time. When I discovered this book on Edelweiss, I felt excited to (finally) read a book focusing on Ellis Island, its employees, and the emigrants who arrived there full of hopes and dreams of a new life in the United States.

A Good Father by Catherine Talbot

“By the end of next summer, before the kids go back to school, I will kill my family.”

Based on the strength of the first sentence, I felt confident I would enjoy reading this book. Despite the wow factor of the opening line, I would quickly come to realize it was a mistake to assume the rest of the book would be equally captivating.

Music Monday: “Never Again” by Kelly Clarkson

Music Monday is hosted by Drew @The Tattooed Book Geek.

Today’s randomly chosen video is “Never Again” by Kelly Clarkson. Enjoy!

A Decade on Goodreads

It was exactly ten years ago that I first discovered Goodreads and created my account. Of all the sites I’ve signed up for over the years, Goodreads is one of the few that I use regularly. It’s my first stop when I need to find information about books and authors, making it invaluable to me since I started blogging. In honor of my decade on Goodreads, I’m sharing noteworthy milestones of my membership in this bookish community.