Xepherus Reads

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,        Never Smile at Strangers is written by Jennifer Jaynes and is published by Thomas and Mercer, an Amazon imprint. In it, we are brought down to Louisiana to Grand Trespass, a troubled community in a panic after a young woman disappears after arguing with her boyfriend. Her best friend, Haley Landry was the last one to see her and she is worried foul play might be involved. Her co-worker, Erica Duvall, is a budding mystery writer that is using her surroundings to write her tale. But Erica is dealing with a missing person herself; her mother. As the days creep by and the authorities and search parties find no trace of the missing girl, Haley continues to search on her own for clues. But in a community like Grand Trespass, there are few bright spots.   Across town, the man responsible for the current wave of fear is dealing with a fright of his own: his sister. Fifteen-year-old Allie is trouble with a cap...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       Don't Say a Word is written by Jennifer Jaynes, and it is published by Thomas and Mercer, an Amazon imprint. In this tense novel, we are introduced to twenty-two-year-old Allie Callahan. She has come a long way from her troubled teen years, adopted by her foster mother, Bitty Callahan. Bitty was successful in turning around Allie's life at sixteen, and she has continued to applaud her resilience. With a mother and brother both dead, Allie works through her mental instability with anti-depressants. She vows to keep herself together for her four-year-old son, Sammy.  Allie and Bitty take in foster children regularly and are preparing to handle their incoming charges, Carrie and Zoe Parish.   When the sisters arrive at Bitty's doorstep, Allie does her best to make the pre-teen girls feel welcome.  The twins...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,            Reading for me is first and foremost for enjoyment for me. I love buying books and comics and surrounding myself with piles of narratives to occupy my hungry brain. I can use a whole day to read. I love reading curled up in bed, outside under a tree, or on a long bus ride. Reading fulfills my creative side, my wishes that I can do things that humans cannot, and my wanderlust, to name a few. Reading enriches my mind. Reading teaches me information. Reading inspires me.   I have recently begun to push aside things in my life that have been wasteful to me. I have replaced these things with reading. There was a time in my life when I read constantly. After a while life intervened and I was drawn away from reading. Now I have not only introduced reading back into my life, but I have also begun to write more of my book. In that sense, reading has moved to research materials....

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       The 7th Month is written by Lisa Gardner and is published by Penguin Random House under their Dutton Books imprint. Featured as a digital short novel, it takes place before her sixth D.D. Warren novel, Catch Me. In it, we are introduced to D.D. Warren: Desk Duty Sergeant. In her seventh month of pregnancy, D.D. has been sent to desk duty as a way of keeping her active on the force.  One afternoon a shifty-looking man with a nervous and tired demeanor approaches the desk asking for a detective. The man is Don Bilger, an executive producer of an upcoming crime drama, Cover Your Eyes. He requests a detective as a consultant for the film. According to Bilger the retired police officer that he had hired as a consultant disappeared suddenly. And they need a detective fast for the evening scenes that they are shooting.  About to be a mother and enter into a committed relationship, D.D. sees this as an opportunity ...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,     Many of you have been asking me: Why does someone re-read a book?   I have a few reasons why I re-read books: Series Re-Reads -  Many times I get involved in a series of books. Duologies, trilogies, and long-term series are my main factors. For example: if a book was released in 2015 and a few years later its sequel comes out, I may have forgotten important details in the storyline and need to revisit them. I can do this by referencing parts of the novel, or I can just set aside some time to re-read the entire book. I find that re-reading the entire novel is the best way.   Seasonal and Holiday Re-Reads-  I tend to re-read certain books at certain times of the year. For Halloween, I re-read  The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. For Christmas, I pull out my Christmas Story leather-bound book by Charl...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,     On October 1, 1990 the Secret Diary of Laura Palmer was released to millions of Twin Peaks fans worldwide by Pocket Books. Written by Jennifer Lynch (daughter of David Lynch) this disturbing account of the final years of Laura Palmer's life was released in diary format. It was sold out quickly and gave fans the chance to try and solve the mystery of her murder. In 2017 the third season event on Showtime sparked renewed interest in Twin Peaks. Actress Sheryl Lee reprised her role as Laura Palmer in the audiobook edition of this classic Twin Peaks book. And of course, I had to listen.        The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer spans over five years beginning with a twelve-year-old Laura and ending at age seventeen. It is a tragic and often horrifying account of sexual abuse, drug addiction, and the longing one has t...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,   Watching You is Lisa Lewell's twisty novel of revenge and betrayal. It is published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.  In it, we are introduced to Melville Heights, a beautiful housing community with homes owned by some of Bristol, England's more affluent residents.  After marrying her husband and moving in with her brother and his wife, Josephine Mullen seems to be in a great place. But Josephine has her mind on someone else, her dashing older neighbor, Tom Fitzwilliam. Day by day her obsession with Tom intensifies, and she seems powerless to stop it. All she knows is that she would rather be with Tom than her husband.   Down the road, teenager Jenna Tripp is dealing with her increasingly paranoid mother who believes that Tom Fitzwilliam is stalking her.  Then murder rocks Melville Heights. Who hated the victim so much that they would stab to death someone that viciously? When you are being w...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,    When I decided to take a week off from this blog to continue working on my debut novel , I was worried I would lose some of my readers. I was wrong and many of you began delving into my past posts from 2015 and 2019. Thank you. Those years were filled with discovering reading again. And it was the start of my own writing journey. It was wonderful seeing those years appreciated by all of you.   I will be working on new content this week and cannot wait to share new works with you.      Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.     If you wish to donate to my publishing fund at Venmo. All donations are appreciated.         Also please follow me on my  social media platforms  and enjoy shopping with me at eBay and Mercari.      SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS AT LINKTREE     Because there is always time to read,   Xepherus3...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,     I mainly buy previously owned books, but I also love to visit my local bookshops and show my support.  Whatever reason you may have a book in your hand, think of one thing before you read: what is the history of this book?    THE OLD:   For me buying books has always been an adventure mainly because I rarely buy a new book. I travel to thrift stores,  flea markets, and book fairs to acquire my reads. I find it a fun challenge to pick up books that I have been wanting to read for a while at a low price. And most book fairs and thrift stores support a charity and the community, which makes your purchase more meaningful.   I have recently discovered new books that were released in 2015 at my local Goodwill. But what I like to see is the history of a book. I love a book that has writing on the inside, whether it be a signed edition or a personal message to someone from a loved one th...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,      I decided to learn more about Carrie Fisher and her world by reading her memoirs. The first book I was recommended was Wishful Drinking. I was told that it was a humorous and unapologetic journey through Carrie's life. This appealed to me because in the past celebrity biographies have always smoothed over the truth. This promised never to do that.    Wishful Drinking is based on Carrie's one-woman show about her life that debuted in 2006 and ran through 2010. It was later turned into an HBO special that most of us have either heard of or have seen. This book takes some of the best material from the stage production, peppers in some family photos, and delivers lovingly-sarcastic sentences that make this one-hundred-and-sixty-one-page book uproariously funny.    I usually fear that any biographical material, whether written by a third...