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

Snow Kissed

A tender-hearted novel of women’s fiction about broken hearts mended by love during the Christmas season.

Strong women who face and overcome obstacles--familial and romantic--have come to define the heartwarming novels of Rae Anne Thayne (The Lost Book of First Loves, 15 Summers Later).

 

In Snow Kissed, she returns readers to Shelter Springs, a picturesque mountain town near Boise, Idaho. At the heart of this story--the third in the series after Christmas at the Shelter Inn and The December Market--is divorced, single mother, Holly Goodwin Moore, who is raising her neurodivergent daughter, Lydia, on her own while running the local flower shop. Holly was once enamored of all-things-Christmas, but since her divorce and the looming wedding of a family member of her ex’s--Lydia is excited to serve as flower girl--Holly is dreading seeing her ex, his new wife, and their new baby at the holiday wedding.

 

A meet-cute case of mistaken identity at the flower shop changes those feelings. Holly crosses paths with Ryan Caldwell, the uncle of 13-year-old, Audrey, who helps out at the flower shop. Ryan, on leave from his career as a Navy pilot, returns to Shelter Springs to help his infirm, troubled sister with Audrey for the holidays. Ryan carries as many scars from the past as does Holly. And as the two get to know each other, Holly asks Ryan a favor: will he agree to be her pretend ‘plus-one’ at the wedding? As their relationship grows, so do a host of complications that ultimately test their willingness to risk love again.

 

Readers familiar with the Shelter Springs books--and those new to the town and its inhabitants--will savor this moving and tender-hearted story about wounded hearts mended by love.

 

Snow Kissed by RaeAnne Thayne

Canary Street Press (Harlequin/HarperCollinsPublishers), $18.99 paperback, 978335013170, 320 pages

Publishing Date: October 7, 2025

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

 

Learn more about author RaeAnne Thayne HERE

The Guest in Room 120

One hotel, three smart women--living 100 years apart--come together to finally give voice and testify to the truth.

The past and present overlap in The Guest in Room 120, another captivating, richly woven novel of historical fiction by Sara Ackerman.

 

Stories of strong women and the unsolved mysteries that surround them have become hallmarks of Ackerman’s work. In The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West, she explored the story of an ambitious, young female pilot from the 1920s who faced many obstacles in trying to compete in the male-dominated world of aviation. In The Guest in Room 120, Ackerman sets her sights on Jane Stanford, the co-founder of esteemed Stanford University who, in 1905, fled life-threatening dangers in California and took residence in the ritzy Moana Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, only to be murdered there by strychnine poisoning. The circumstances of her death were covered up and contested.

 

In 2005, the door to Stanford’s real-life story from the Gilded Age is reopened when blocked bestselling author, Zoe Finch, in search of literary inspiration, attends a writing conference at the historic Moana Hotel. While there, chilling supernatural dreams urge her to more closely examine details of Stanford’s death. Zoe’s research ultimately ties to an enigmatic woman who worked at the hotel--and kept a journal--during Stanford’s ill-fated stay.

 

Along the way, Zoe partners with Dylan Winters, a fellow mystery writer at the conference. The two are put in peril as they dig deep and uncover startling, long-buried truths.

 

Tightly wound dual timelines, burgeoning romance, and smart plotting--past and present--infuse Ackerman’s ambitious, engrossing novel riddled with nail-biting suspense.

 

The Guest in Room 120 by Sara Ackerman

Mira Books (Harlequin/HarperCollins), $18.99 paperback, 9780778387220, 326 pages

Publishing date: September 23, 2025

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

 

 

Learn more about author Sara Ackerman HERE

 

The Book of I

A dark, serio-comic novel about how an ancient bloodbath at a monastery on a tiny Scottish island ultimately provokes redemption for three unlikely survivors.

A jarring, bloody opening scene launches The Book of I, a dark, compact, first novel rife with astonishing comical twists by Scottish playwright David Greig.

The setting is the year 825 at a monastery on the tiny isle of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. Viking Norsemen raid the island in search of a silver reliquary said to house the bones of Saint Columba, an Irish Catholic Priest (and later canonized saint) who established the remote religious enclave. The 70 devout monks who live in humble isolation on the island seem to rejoice at this invasion, willing and eager to be martyred for Christ in order glorify God—all except for one monk: Brother Martin resists the pull of glorified eternity and salvation. Amidst his cowardice, he hides deep in an outhouse—yes, a punishment as fetid as imagined!

In the aftermath of a particularly gruesome and graphically depicted battle (readers will shiver at Greig’s detailed literary descriptions of beheadings and slayings), Brother Martin survives along with, Una, a “handsome woman,” a beekeeper and medicinal mead maker, who is secretly happy to be liberated from her ogre, now dead husband. One of the aging, elder Viking leaders, Grimur, a bombastic brute with a sensitive side, also survives—this after he is mistakenly taken for dead and buried alive. His “resurrection” certainly doesn’t make for congeniality among this unlikely trio. However, there lies the great dramatic irony in Greig’s clever, inventive story that delivers a host of humorous twists about their survival and ultimate forced camaraderie while also reflecting on more sobering issues of forgiveness and trust, love and redemption.  

The Book of I by David Greig

Europa Editions, $21.25 hardcover, 9798889661276, 160 pages

Publication Date: September 9, 2025 

To order this book on Bookshop.org (formerly Indiebound) link HERE

Link HERE to learn more about dramatist/author David Greig

I Know How This Ends

An imaginative romance about a 36-year-old faced with rebooting her shattered life in unexpected ways. 

Are we in control of our destinies? Or does fate cast the die of our lives? Those two questions inspire I Know How This Ends, an inventive, thought-provoking romance by Holly Smale (Geek Girl, Cassandra in Reverse).

The story is told by down-on-her-luck, 36-year-old Margot Wayward, a British-Australian who is enduring the fall-out of a broken, ten-year romance and her losing her job, in a terminal way, as a meteorologist. With her life unmoored, Margot has settled back into her old hometown of Bristol where she struggles with ‘what’s next?’ for her life.  

Enduring a string of no-spark, going-nowhere dates, disillusioned Margot starts to experience supernatural visions that offer glimpses of a future she cannot envision for herself. When she crosses paths with Henry--a sweet-natured single dad and widower; a waiter at the Italian restaurant where all her dates end in disaster--Margot's heart reawakens.  But after everything she’s been through, is she really ready to live--and love--again?

A compelling premise, a strong narrative voice, and a quirky supporting cast permeate Margot’s hopeful journey that will delight readers with tinges of time-travel and magical realism. 

I Know How This Ends by Holly Smale

Mira Books (HarperCollins, Harlequin), $30.00 hardcover, 9780778368632, 368 pages

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

Link HERE to learn more about author Holly Smale

The Christmas Cherub

Are you a fan of Christmas in July? Then add The Christmas Cherub to your reading pile...or better yet, take it to the pool or the beach today! 

Prolific author, Ronda Wells treats readers to a tender, hopeful novel of historical fiction (set in the 1940s, in the aftermath of WWII) that authentically depicts the romantic grit of hard times. 

Read my review of this beautifully drawn, spiritually infused short novel HERE

The Christmas Cherub by Ronda Wells

Ronda Wells Books, $13.99 paperback, 9798998514012, 272 pages

Publication Date: July 1, 2025

To order this book on Bookshop.org link HERE

Link HERE to learn more about author Ronda Wells

Friends to Lovers

A strong, spirited first novel, a romcom, where friends turn into lovers and then turn into friends again until…Well, that’s to be determined!

Summertime takes a starring role in Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely, a fun, spirited romcom sure to add sunshine to reader’s lives.

Joni and Ren are long-time friends who met as children in their hometown of Portland, Oregon. The two share a long history. Still single, they are both closing in on their 30s. And while Joni set off to take a dream job New York City, the two made a pact kept throughout their 20s: they’d always serve as each other’s “plus ones” (dates) every wedding season. That was, until the last wedding they attended together suddenly transformed friendship into romantic love. Uh-oh!

 

When Joni comes back home to attend her sister’s wedding, she and Ren awkwardly reunite, pretending to pick up as if their rendezvous never happened. In reality, the pair struggle to reconcile their actions and feelings; while also trying to gauge the prospect of what they really want for the future.

 

Short chapters and a staggered time-line narrated by the pull-and-tug of romantic dilemmas faced by these two, endearing characters offer a perfect summer escape. This first novel by Blakely delivers a strong start, sure to develop into a long-term relationship with romcom readers!

 

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely

Canary Street Press (HarperCollins/MIRA/Harlequin), $18.99 paperback, 9781335014245, 352 pages

Publication Date: July 22, 2025

To order this book on Bookshop.org link HERE

Link HERE to learn more about Sally Blakely

That Last Carolina Summer

The complicated relationship that resides between mothers and daughters--and sisters--anchors this emotionally evocative, mysterious family saga.   

That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White is an atmospheric story set in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and centers on Phoebe Manigualt who, as a child, was struck by lightning and was later gifted with--and also cursed by--premonitions and mysterious dreams that have marked the course of her life. When Phoebe, finally settled in Oregon and working as a teacher, is contacted by her sister Adeline (aka “Addie”) who notifies that their mother is suffering from dementia, Pheobe returns home. As the three women are reunited, tensions from the past suddenly illicit supernatural occurrences that force these multi-generational, well-drawn characters to relive memories and probe secrets that chillingly unite them all.  

White (An Author’s Guide to Murder, The House on Prytania) is an accomplished storyteller who successfully blends elements of women’s fiction, romance, and magical realism that combine to elevate this well-drawn family saga into an emotionally evocative, suspenseful page-turner.

 

That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White

Park Row Books (Harlequin/HQN, HarperCollins Books), $30,00 hardcover, 9780778310693, 352 pages

Publication Date: July 22, 2025

To order this book on Bookshop.org link HERE

 

To learn more about Karen White and her long list of published titles, link HERE