Publisher Appreciation Post!!! RE: Turner Publishing

 This week's appreciation post is near and dear to my heart. Because of Turner Publishing, I discovered what will be among my TOP 5 reads of 2021, "Paradise, W.V."

Turner Bookstore!

Please be sure to check out my review of "Paradise, W.V." and here is the link to order your own copy: 

Paradise, W.V. - I cannot say enough about this read, and to be honest - it was not a pick I would normally have picked up in a bookstore, which makes my appreciation of Turner even greater! Opening up to new reads is one of the reasons I chose to promote/host for LikeWise, I wanted to open myself up to new genres! I'm so happy I did, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed! 

A bit about Turner: 

Turner Publishing Company is an award-winning, independent publisher of books. The company is in the top 101 independent publishing companies in the U.S. as compiled by Bookmarket.com and has been named five times to Publishers Weekly's Fastest Growing Publishers List. Todd Bottorff, President and Publisher, was featured on the cover of Publisher’s Weekly in March 2009 after being named to their fastest growing publisher list.

Here are some of the amazing titles Turner has gifted me for promotion/review! 

Mental Fitness -Achieve a balanced mood, clear thinking, and abundant energy through transformative methods based on groundbreaking research on the gut-heart-brain-axis.

The Son of Abraham -The Son of Abraham is an immersive, haunting, touching story about family, love, and the supernatural. Kathleen Kaufman has woven a tapestry of original entities, visceral setting, and dark magical wonder that is equally unsettling and hopeful. A powerful read. ―Richard Thomas, author of Disintegration, and Breaker (Thriller Award nominee)

Is Your Life Successful? - Am I living my life to the fullest? It’s a question we all ask ourselves, yet there is no universal answer. In Is Your Life Successful?, Dr. Frank Boehm guides readers through an entertaining, insightful, and ultimately hopeful exploration of life’s joy and hardships. Through years of interviews, Boehm curated more than 200 stories from people spanning all ages and backgrounds. Enjoy stories from figures like former Senator Bob Corker and singer-songwriter Tanya Tucker to nurses, lawyers, Uber drivers, those with special needs, people experiencing homelessness, and more.

The Secret of Rainy Days - Like the best Southern novels, The Secret of Rainy Days reminds us when searching for your place in the world, you may find it where you least expect it. And that sometimes to move forward, you have to go back to where you came from. ―Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author

No Hiding in Boise - A July 2021 INDIE NEXT Pick "With this novel, Kim Hooper has created magic from the seemingly impossible. In her hands, the gossamer threads that tie three perfect strangers to each other following a shared tragedy, become nothing less than a transformative bond of human connection. Honest, brave, messy and unsparing, her characters are fearless pioneers in the darkness, and ultimately shed light for us on the most precious gift of all…life after loss. –Brad Silberling, Writer/Director of Moonlight Mile, Director of City of Angels 

The Hive - The Hive by Melissa Scholes Young is real and raw, and will pin you back in your seat. It’s a powerful portrait of a family coming to terms with a changing world that some are ready for, and others are not. The Fehler family is beautifully rendered in their messy complexity―flawed, tragic, and hopeful, all at once. I loved it. ―Alex George, author of The Paris Hours

All the Love - The tumultuous feelings that accompany pregnancy loss are hard to describe, and women who experience this often feel terribly alone in their grief. But All the Love, written by three wise and compassionate women, offers much-needed understanding, consolation, wisdom, and hope. Its heartfelt and caring message will provide solace and guidance to those who have lost babies as well as those who seek to support them. –Christine Gross-Loh Author, Parenting Without Borders and co-author, The Path

I hope you will order these titles from Turner and support publishers/authors! I love working with these publishers who appreciation posts have inspired my book-friends and others to order! If you order please let me know, I'm always looking for book-talk!! 

Welcome to Lordsville......

"Justified" meets the area I grew up in "Paradise, WV" by Rob Rufus. 

At first glance, see previous post, I believed the cover resembled heaven vs. hell and boy was I right about that one! Jane and Henry Lusher's dad, Hollis, was convicted of murdering 3 (possibly 12) women before being arrested. The kids must live in the shadow of this in a small town called, Paradise. No one befriends the kids and the oldest, Jane, is doing whatever it takes to get out Paradise for good. 

BUT....

The murders that their father was accused of start again or did they ever stop? Is this a copycat killer? OR...was the real killer never brought to justice? With the help of Otis Perkins, who has his own father issues as well, they attempt to unmask what really happened to those women and how it may be connected to a religious cult, Lordsville. And of course, Mammaw and Gravy (their mascot puppy) are along for the ride! 

I cannot say enough about this book! I had to pace myself or else I was going to finish it in one night! The writing is on point for the kids, mammaw, and the officers. I love the mentions of local area restaurant's, cities, and towns! It was like walking back through my childhood, minus the serial killer. 

Couple of things I didn't love but in no way impacted the story; I felt the podcast visiting would have been a much bigger deal than it was made out to be. I think given the events that occurred on the night of the live event, the hosts would have wanted to stick around for the first hand accounts of what was going on (in my opinion.) Next, the book is divided into "episodes" which is why I thought the podcast would play a bigger role in the book than it did. But as I said, these couple of things did not impact the story and did not prevent me from giving this one a 5/5 on Goodreads! I really hope you all pick up a copy when it hits shelves on 7.20.21! 

Time to visit Paradise WV....

 Alright everyone, next up on the places to travel (and TBR list), "Paradise, WV!" 

I'm so excited to start this one today, it was gifted to me by Turner Publishing/KeyLight Books and will be released on 7.20.2021 - so if you pick up a copy, send me a message on LikeWise I've already started a discussion there! 

For me, this book will hit close to home - literally. Growing up on the Kentucky/Ohio/West Virginia line (AKA "Tri-State Area") I see first hand how drugs and poverty have taken over around my hometown. This area used to be home to AK Steel, one of the top steel making plants in the US, and when they shut down - everyone felt the impact. You KNEW someone who had lost their job; they might not be related to you but they were related to someone you knew, their dad sat next to you in school, or the waitress at Bob Evan's who always has a smile on her - well, her husband lost his job. And the area I grew up in has never recovered. 

I moved away before the opioid epidemic started but I know from visiting family, the struggle is real for those left behind. It breaks my heart to see homes I visited as a child being knocked down for either liquor stores, gas stations, or fast food places. But that is what's going on, and it never should have gotten to this point. 

So when you pick up this new release by Rob Rufus, hopefully this will give a little background to West Virginia and the surrounding area(s)! For "Paradise, WV" though - not only do we have all of this going on, but we also have a serial killer on the loose as well! Check out my GoodReads and LikeWise accounts for updates on this one! 

Side note; I LOVE this cover - right now I'm thinking heaven vs. hell but I'm sure that opinion will change!