Meet Me in Italy

A heartfelt romcom about a novelist facing a broken marriage and writer’s block who puts the pieces of her life back together via a trip to Italy.

With the release of Meet Me in Italy, prolific author Brenda Novak treats readers to another deeply engaging, multi-layered romance that starts in California and ultimately unspools amidst the rugged Amalfi Coast of Italy.

The story launches at the nadir of Charlotte Williams-Jackson’s life. The life of this 20-something, California-based novelist is upended when her NBA-player husband abruptly walks away from their marriage of four years--he just doesn’t “want to be married anymore.” Unmoored and disoriented by the split, Charlotte moves back in with her parents.

With her life in an emotional tailspin, Charlotte succumbs to a severe depression that solidifies into writer’s block. As she struggles to meet a deadline to finish her second novel, Charlotte reconnects with local, old friends, Sloane and her twin brother, Julian—both of whom are also facing personal life crises.

When Charlotte receives a letter informing her that she was adopted and has an orphaned, 12-year-old half-sister who lives in Italy, the torpor of her life suddenly shifts. She, along with Sloane and Julian set off on an Italian adventure that enlightens Charlotte to the truth of who she really is and what she really wants out of life.

A strong premise, a well-drawn cast of characters, and a passionate, colorful Italian backdrop make for an exciting literary journey. Novak (The Summer That Changed Everything) nicely entwines many meaningful story threads that weave together to form a powerfully heartfelt, happily-ever-after.

 

Meet Me in Italy by Brenda Novak

MIRA (HarperCollins), $18.99 Paperback, 9780778305811, 400 pages

Publication Date: April 7, 2026

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

Learn more about author Brenda Novak HERE

The Sisters of Book Row

A compelling, well-researched novel of historical fiction set in a 1915 Manhattan bookstore run by three smart, fiercely independent sisters.

As she did in her novels The Colony Club and The Tiffany Girls, Shelley Noble once again probes provocative feminist themes in The Sisters of Book Row. This authentically rendered novel of historical fiction explores one family’s ardent passion for books and literature—and the quest for women’s rights.

In 1915, a conglomerate of independent bookstores once filled Fourth Avenue in Manhattan. This included Arcadia Rare Bookshop—a vigorous shop run by the three Applebaum sisters who each bring unique personal gifts to the family business. The sisters, all smart and independent, share a complicated bond. And they each have personal secrets embedded in their hearts. The oldest and most intellectual, Olivia, works behind the scenes as an antiquarian specialist. Daphne, the outgoing middle sister, runs the front end of the shop. And Celia, the youngest, pulls up the slack doing whatever’s required, while also working underground with a group that covertly promotes “women’s health” issues via Margaret Sanger, the foundress of Planned Parenthood. At a time in history when society policed and raided “extremist views,” Celia starts to hide leaflets and pamphlets tied to women's rights in books and other literary ephemera. Her actions soon pose a risk for the family business that also jeopardizes other neighboring bookstores, as well.

 

Noble has crafted a compelling character-driven story that may be set in the early 20^th Century, but the underlying themes explored will resonate deeply with readers today.

The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble

William Morrow (Harper Collins), $18.00 paperback, 9780063423916, 384 pages

Publication Date: March 3, 2026

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about Shelley Noble HERE

The Optimists

A witty, poignant novel about a stand-out 8^th Grade English teacher who traces the ascendency of a notably gifted student and how his life affected hers--and vice versa. 

Teachers--and the gifts they bring to their students and vice versa--reside at the center of The Optimists. This eccentric, character-driven story is written by Brian Platzer (Bed-Stye is Burning; The Body Politic), who based his protagonist on a real-life teacher and mentor who changed his own life. 

Rod Keating was once a dedicated, creatively inventive, inspiring and joke-telling 8th grade English teacher at St. George Episcopal School in Lower Manhattan. Clever and perceptive--a real stand-out with the students--Mr. Keating always dreamed big. However, when he suddenly becomes infirm at the age of 70, he commits to writing a novel about his life—namely his teaching career and the impact of one very gifted (yet often troubled) student, Clara Hightower. Mr. Keating saw something special in Clara when they first met in the late 1980s. He watched her develop from a bright, conniving child, accelerate academically in high school, and witnessed her success in becoming a star of Silicon Valley, an animal rights activist, and finally, a terrorist. 

A staggered timeline and brisk pacing mark Platzer’s lively, stream-of-conscious-style narrative. A cast of well-drawn, off-beat supporting players deepen the tender wit, heart, and intimacy of this poignant, original story that probes the meaning of life and death and how ordinary people often connect in extraordinary ways.

The Optimists by Brian Platzer

Little, Brown and Company, $29.00 hardcover, 978-0316576956, 304 pages

Publication Date: February 24, 2016

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about Brian Platzer HERE

 

First Love, Second Draft

With only about two months to go until the official OPENING DAY for Major League Baseball…this book is a great “season” appetizer, especially for reader-baseball fans… 

A wholesome, sweet love story about how a couple, divorced for five years, gets a second chance to fall in love all over again.

 

Becca Kinzer treats readers to a wholesome, sweet romance that brings together a couple divorced for five years in First Love, Second Draft.

 

Forty-two-year-old Gracie Parker of Alda, Illinois is a blocked romance writer. She’s also hobbling around, sidelined from a freak accident that injured her hip. She struggles to pay her medical bills and those of her ailing father. With Gracie in need of cash flow, her nephew slyly rents a refurbished cabin on her property to her ex-husband, Noah Parker, a 40-year-old, sidelined Major League pitcher for the Seattle Mariners plagued with issues of his own—including still carrying a romantic torch for Gracie.

 

Noah returns to town, offering to help Gracie convalesce in the hope he might also convince her to help him write his sports memoir. In reuniting, the couple begins to learn things they never knew about each other while also coming to terms with what drove them apart—Gracie was focused on a having a baby she couldn’t have and thus became resentful of Noah whose passions were with baseball. When Noah is asked to pitch for the World Series, the strides to rebuild the couple’s relationship are suddenly challenged and emotional wounds from the past once again resurface. 

 

With great tenderness, Kinzer (Dear Henry, Love Edith; Love in Tandem) delivers enough literary curve balls and changeups to keep readers fully invested in a hopeful story aimed on the prospect of new beginnings in life and in love.

 

First Love, Second Draft by Becca Kinzer

Tyndale Fiction, $17.99 paperback, 9781496489029, 320 pages

Publication Date: April 15, 2024

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about author Becca Kinzer HERE

 

A Ferry Merry Christmas

 

A broken-down ferry stuck in Puget Sound (Washington State), brings unexpected Christmas joy and blessings to a group of strangers.

Debbie Macomber’s wholesome, holiday-themed fiction has become “literary comfort food” for legions of her faithful readers. In A Ferry Merry Christmas, she again warms hearts and souls with a feel-good story of how lives interconnect in unexpected ways.

 

Set two days before Christmas, the story features an ensemble cast of strangers who set off via ferry from Bremerton to Seattle, Washington. When the ferry breaks down and the part needed to get it back up and running is delayed, the inconvenience challenges passengers whose holiday plans are suddenly disrupted. This includes a father-to-be whose pregnant wife is on the brink of giving birth; a sister on her way to share Christmas with her brother, as the two will celebrate their first holiday without their beloved grandmother; a twin enroute to finally make up with her long-estranged other half; a handsome sailor on leave from the Navy; and a mother with a young daughter who wants a special Christmas wish to come true.

 

With the ferry stuck in Puget Sound, the journeys of every passenger on board—as well as for their loved ones awaiting them on land—veer off course. But when one passenger decides to crack open a gift tin of her delicious homemade cookies and shares them with the group, the emotional tides shift into holiday cheer.

 

Tender hope and good-natured providence bind up a host of story threads, as Macomber weaves a comforting tapestry that depicts how sometimes the best holiday gifts are the ones never expected or planned for.

 

A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Ballantine Books (Random House), $25.00 hardcover, 9780593974674, 272 pages

Publishing date: October 21, 2025

To order this book on Indiebound/Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

 

Learn more about Debbie Macomber HERE

Favorite Reads 2025 : My Brilliant Friend Deluxe Edition by Elena Ferrante

My Favorite Gift Book of the Year: My Brilliant Friend Deluxe Edition by Elena Ferrante

This is a beautifully presented collection of four unforgettable novels, each exploring a universal story of love, friendship, family, and belonging.

In My Brilliant Friend Deluxe Edition, Elena Ferrante’s quartet of novels are culled into one distinctive volume. If you’re not already familiar with the four books she previously released as standalone Neapolitan-themed novels (My Brilliant Friend; The Story of a New Name; Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay; The Story of the Lost Child), this is a chance to read all the books between two covers. This beautifully presented, deluxe cloth hardcover edition features sprayed edges and colored endpapers illustrating the Bay of Naples. 

When Elena Ferrante set out to write the story of Elena and Lila, she conceived it as one single work of fiction, one expansive novel that would capture the reality and ambivalence of female friendship, motherhood, marriage, class, and adolescence. This year, 2025, marks 10 years since the quartet of novels was completed and this one book, filled with all four of the novels, has been issued to celebrate that anniversary and honor the author’s original conception.

If you are a reader or writer--or maybe you love to collect books--this is a MUST to add to your cherished collection.  Or better yet, give this one as a gift!

NOTE: My Brilliant Friend was named the #1 Best Book of the Century by the New York Times.

My Brilliant Friend Deluxe Edition (The Four Volumes) by Elena Ferrante

Europa Editions, $65.00 hardcover, 9798889661443, 1248 pages

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

To order this book via Bookshop.org, link HERE

To learn more about author Elena Ferrante, link HERE

Favorite Reads 2025: False Claims by Lisa Pratta

My Favorite Non-Fiction Book of the Year:  False Claims: One Insider’s Impossible Battle Against Big Pharma Corruption by Lisa Pratta

This propulsive memoir richly details the quest of a brave saleswoman who risked everything to expose pharmaceutical industry corruption.

In False Claims, Lisa Pratta, once a top-selling pharmaceutical sales representative, renders a chilling behind-the-scenes account of how she bravely put herself--her career, her reputation, and even her life--on the line to expose an industry rife with corruption and deception.

 

Pratta grew up in Pittman, New Jersey in the 1960s. Suffering emotional and physical abuse as a child, she became an ambitious over-achiever determined to escape her family and make something of herself. Her tough, shrewd, pistol-packing, paternal “Nonna” set a strong example of right and wrong and female independence for young Pratta.

 

Earning a college scholarship, Pratta’s talkative personality and exemplary listening skills steered her toward making a “decent living” in pharmaceutical sales. Self-starting, competitive, and astute, Pratta--a dedicated, honest worker--quickly excelled in Big Pharma, a world full of fat perks and bonuses. It also felt, at times, like “one big fraternity” that often belittled and demeaned women in the field. Pratta, however, held her own. At age 27, she married a research scientist and gave birth to a son who was later diagnosed with autism. When Pratta was 50, her marriage fell apart, and she suddenly needed to support herself and her son, finance his special-needs education, and secure good health insurance. She took a job as a sales rep for Questcor Pharmaceuticals, whose premiere drug was a self-injectable, two-to-three-week treatment offering pseudo-hope for patients battling the debilitating effects of Multiple Sclerosis.

 

Pratta’s success was hard-fought and won. However, when sales reps were prompted to pitch the drug to doctors using a five-day regimen that not only undermined how the drug was originally approved for use but also jacked up the $50 prescription price point to $28,000, ethical and moral red flags were raised in Pratta’s conscience. After a trusted colleague lost his job and approached Pratta, asking her to join in exposing Questcor’s nefarious corruption, Pratta agreed to become a whistleblower. For years, she risked everything—continuing her sales work, while also working as an undercover agent for the government in order to expose Questcor’s fraudulent, deceptive practices.

 

Pratta’s propulsive, nail-biting narrative is a must-read—especially for those who rely on pharmaceuticals of all kinds, as the harrowing truths she courageously exposes about the medical and drug industries are alarming, but could also prove life-changing for many.

 

False Claims: One Insider’s Impossible Battle Against Big Pharma Corruption by Lisa Pratta

William Morrow, $30.00 hardcover, 288 pages, 9780063371101, 288 pages

Publication Date: June 3, 2025

To order this book via Bookshop.org link HERE

 

To learn more about Lisa Pratta link HERE

Favorite Reads 2025: Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser

My Favorite Novel of the Year: Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser 

A tender, inspiring and beautifully rendered story about what it means to have true vision—in life and in art. 

A ten-year-old French girl who inexplicably starts to go blind shares an enriching 52-week experience with her attentive, maternal grandfather, visiting museums and studying five centuries worth of great visual art. 

Traversing works in Parisian galleries from DaVinci to Kandinksy, Rafael to Magritte, Whisler to O’Keefe, all the way to Basquiat, the author entwines the enlightening journey shared between grandfather, Henry, and suddenly disabled granddaughter, Mona, with the beauty and wisdom behind each great work of art—and those who created them.

Thomas Schlesser is a thoughtful, exquisite craftsman of tender prose and plotting. Mona’s Eyes is an unforgettable, visionary gift for readers—a tender, life-affirming story of love and the transformative power of life when it is lived as an art.

Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser (translated from the French by Hildegarde Serle)

Europa Editions, $30.00 hardcover, 432 pages, 9798889661115, 432 pages

Publication Date: August 26, 2025

To order this book via Bookshop.org link HERE

Good Hair Days

A dynamic Southern novel that pays homage to the bonds of sisterhood, community, and lasting legacies.  

Two sisters struggle to save a family-owned legacy business in Good Hair Days by Grace Helena Walz, a heartfelt novel woven with lots of down-to-earth Southern drama and charm. 

The story focuses on Georgia and Junie Scott, two sisters born and raised in Whitetail, a small town outside of Atlanta. Junie, the younger of the two sisters, stayed behind to run the beauty shop left to her by their mother, while Georgia, the older sister, went to a prestigious college and now lives a seemingly successful corporate life in the city.

 

In the process of trying to renovate the shop, Junie gets into a mountain of debt and thus, summons Georgia home for help. But when the sisters reunite, old wounds get reopened and both women, harboring life-changing secrets from each other, must come to terms with their own--and their shared--fates.

 

Written via the strong narrative points-of-view of each sister, Grace Helena Walz (Southern by Design) has a firm command on sisterly bonds, small-town living, and the often-unyielding depth of Southern roots. This well-drawn, nostalgic story might pay homage to the sass and sparkle of Dolly Parton, but it also delivers an unexpectedly moving, tear-jerking twist.

 

Good Hair Days by Grace Helena Walz

Harper Muse, $18.99 paperback, 9781400345663, 400 pages

Publishing date: November 11, 2025

To order this book on Indiebound/Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

 

Learn more about Grace Helena Walz link HERE

 

Once Upon a Christmas Carol

A blissful, charming Christmas story that extols the gifts and hopeful wisdom of unexpected providence.

Readers who enjoy wholesome, Christmas-themed romances will be blissfully charmed in reading, Once Upon a Christmas Carol by prolific author, Melody Carlson, who delivers an enjoyable holiday story that extols the gifts of unexpected providence.

 

Carol Langstrom might’ve been named Carol because her birthday, nearly 40 years before, fell on Christmas, December 25^th. However, after many years of dashed romantic hopes and a split family riddled with angst, the spirit of the holidays has lost its luster.

 

This year, Carol--a single, interior designer--treats herself to the sun, sand, and surf of a solo holiday getaway to the Bahamas. However, when her flight enroute is diverted to Michigan because of a snowstorm, she is left stranded—until she remembers that her mother’s estranged, older sister lives near the airport. On a lark, Carol takes a chance and calls her 70-year-old Aunt Maria. Recently widowed and out-of-commission with an injury, Aunt Maria eagerly welcomes a niece she’s never met. Carol is pleasantly surprised by Maria’s welcoming hospitality—as well as the attentions of Victor, Aunt Maria’s single neighbor who has returned home to tend to his own family and their farm. Victor--an upbeat, do-gooder and great cook, who comes from a big Italian family--instantly bonds with Carol. As the two get to know each other during her short stay, Carol begins to rethink her priorities and the meaning of family, Christmas, and love.

 

Carlson (Welcome to the Honey B&B) offers another pleasurable escape that will not only entertain readers but also enlighten them with uplifting Christian wisdom and hope.

 

Once Upon a Christmas Carol by Melody Carlson

Revell (Baker Publishing Group), $18.99 hardcover, 9780800744731, 176 pages

Publishing Date: September 2, 2025

To order this book on INDIEBOUND/Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Learn more about author Melody Carlson HERE

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas

Pumpkins may still be in the patch, but Christmas and the holidays are already upon us, and CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS - 101 JOYFUL HOLIDAY STORIES is sure to strike a cheerful holiday mood!

I'm pleased to share a personal essay with this collection. In "Meatballs...for Thanksgiving?" (page 26), I demonstrate how a turkey feast might be the norm on most Thanksgiving tables, but variations on the feast can be equally welcomed.

In addition to my essay, this inspiring, heart-warming anthology features 100 more stories that 'Deck the Halls' by tackling themes that extol gratitude, treasured traditions, holiday hiccups and miracles, getting creative amidst the joy of giving and selecting perfect presents, and experiencing the magic of the season through the wonderment of children. All bases are covered...These entertaining stories are the perfect literary pairing for the holidays!  

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS makes a great gift for yourself and/or for those you love. Pick up a copy today!

Note: Royalties from this book benefit Toys for Tots

Happy Reading!

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas - 101 Joyful Holiday Stories– edited by Amy Newmark

Chicken Soup for the Soul, $16.99 paperback, 368 pages, 978-1611591262

Publication date October 24, 2025

To order this book on Amazon, link HERE

To order this book on Barnes & Noble, link HERE

To order this book on bookshop.org link HERE

To learn more about Chicken Soup for the Soul - books and other related media - link HERE

The Man Next Door

A fun, suspenseful novel where three familial females all fall under the intrigue of an enigmatic new neighbor, a "hottie.” 

Author Sheila Roberts (The Best Life Book Club) brings together three California-based women in the same family, each in different stages of life in The Man Next Door.

Zona Hartman loses everything when her husband-turned-ex, “an overflowing septic tank of a human being” gambled away all of their savings—including the funds earmarked for their daughter, Bree, whose dreams of attending nursing school are now deferred.

Zona--a financially destitute, now twice-divorced 44-year-old--is forced to move in with her mother, Louise, a once-happily-married, now widowed, 68-year-old. Spry Louise has aspirations to finally write a mystery novel and is determined to find unlucky-in-love-Zona a good man.

When Louise falls and breaks her leg during a Hawaiian cruise, she returns home to convalesce and finally has the time to pursue both of her dreams in the form of a handsome newcomer to the neighborhood--a real “hottie”--about the same age as Zona. However, while Louise, ever the imaginative writer, tries to script the story of who the enigmatic man is--keeping tabs on his comings and goings--things take intriguing turns when, on the other side of the fence, shouting matches resound on a regular basis. Maybe the “hottie” is not such a good catch for Zona after all? But boy, what a story Louise might have to tell!  

“Fun” should be Sheila Roberts’ middle name as she charms readers with spunky characters, snappy dialogue, and a spirited, cleverly plotted storyline that successfully blends elements of rom-com, cozy mystery, and suspense.

The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts

MIRA Books (HarperCollins, Harlequin), 18.99 paperback, 9780778360285, 368 pages

Publishing Date: October 14, 2025

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

Learn more about Sheila Roberts HERE