Tag: thriller

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Amazon First Reads – May 2025

When the Amazon First Reads came out at the beginning of May, I wasn’t initially drawn to any of them and didn’t make a selection. I got an email a couple of days ago reminding me about them, however, so I took another look and decided to take advantage of the offer.

For the book, I chose a cozy mystery that sounds like fun. Homemaker, by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, is about a midlife mother called Prairie Nightingale who gets intrigued when another mom goes missing and begins investigating.

There was a bonus short story, a thriller, which I also downloaded. Death Row by Frieda McFadden is about a woman named Talia Kemper who is on death row for murdering her husband despite having an alibi and no known motive. One day in the visiting area she sees a man who she thinks is her husband and has to convince everyone of what she saw.

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My Short Story Weekend

I was looking through my TBR last week and noticed that I had a bunch of short stories on it, most of which were already on my Kindle.  So last weekend, I decided to read them all.

The first three are part of a series called Once Upon a Bookshop by Alice Hoffman. The main characters are two sisters who have been estranged for years but come back together when one of their children reaches out for help.

  • The Bookstore Sisters
  • The Bookstore Wedding
  • The Bookstore Keepers

The rest are standalone stories.

  • The One That Got Away by Mike Gayle – fun story about a guy trying to get over his ex and how he spends the day of her wedding to another guy
  • The Sublet by Greer Hendricks – chilling story about the hidden cost of perfection
  • The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez – sweet, funny story about two neighbors who get stranded together over Valentine’s Day
  • The Tomorrow Box by Curtis Sittenfeld – part of the Currency collection of Amazon original short stories, an interesting look at two men who were friends in college and meet to catch up many years later
  • Giraffe & Flamingo by Curtis Sittenfeld – an Amazon original short story about a woman reflecting on her college experience 
  • The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin – a classic science fiction story first published in 1954. This was shared with me by a good friend.
  • Sebastian and the Troll by Fredrik Backman – a story about pain that Backman has published on his blog

It was kind of fun to read all of these stories back to back.  They reflect a range of styles and topics, but each one has something to offer. 

Do you enjoy short stories? Or do you prefer to stick to full length books?

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Amazon First Reads – March 2025

Amazon First Reads this month included one book chosen from a small selection of different genres and a bonus short story.

My Book Pick

If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley – Fate connects two people in life-changing ways in a deeply romantic and emotional novel about hope and second chances by the author of Would You Rather and The Roommate Pact.

Bonus Short Story

The Sublet: A Short Story by Greer Hendricks – A chilling story about the hidden cost of perfection.

Both look good, and I’m excited to read them!