It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Back in 2011, I was an avid reader who had somehow lost my way with reading. Between working and being a full-time student, reading for pleasure had slowly fallen by the wayside.

I wanted to change that. So I gave myself a New Year's resolution to read one book every week for a year. I started A Book A Week on January 1, 2012 as a way to hold myself accountable and share what I was reading along the way.

I didn't quite reach my goal that first year, but I kept reading. I kept reviewing. And all these years later, I'm still here, looking forward to whatever book comes next. Some years I crush my goals, some years I don't, but my love for a good book has never wavered.

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

I'm a lifelong reader with a particular soft spot for mysteries and thrillers. I've always loved the genre, and I credit those stories—the twists, suspense, and need to know what happens next—with keeping me a reader as an adult. My reading has taken me in all kinds of directions since then, but I'll always come back to a good mystery.

I love creepy horror novels. A fascinating work of nonfiction can completely pull me in, too. And I've found plenty of favorites in science fiction, literary fiction, romance, and other genres I might never have picked up when I first started the blog. That's part of the fun. I never quite know what kind of story is going to grab me next.

When I'm not reading or writing reviews, you'll usually find me at home with my husband and our pets. I'm a classically trained musician and composer, an enthusiastic home cook, and a backyard gardener. There's usually a trip to look forward to or some new project that has caught my interest, too.

At the end of the day, I just really love books. There's nothing quite like discovering a story I can't put down or finding an author I can't wait to read again. Even when a book doesn't quite work for me, I still enjoy thinking about why and putting those thoughts into words. That's what keeps me reading, reviewing, and sharing it all here on A Book A Week.

Honest reviews, always.

Some of the books I review are ones I've purchased myself. Others are provided by publishers or authors in exchange for an honest review. Either way, what I write here is always what I really think.

Not every book is going to work for every reader, and that's part of the fun of talking about books. I'll tell you what worked for me, what didn't, and hopefully give you enough to decide whether a book might be right for you.

Good, bad, or somewhere in between, you'll always get my honest take.

Let's Connect

I'm always happy to hear from readers, publishers, authors, and fellow book lovers.

Review Copies

I'm always open to considering books for review. I read across a pretty wide range of genres, though mysteries and thrillers tend to be particular favorites. If you'd like me to consider a book, send along a little information about it and why you think it might be a good fit for A Book A Week.

Publishers & Authors

Review requests, interviews, features, or something else you have in mind? Send me a note. I'm always happy to hear about new books and opportunities that might be a good fit for the blog.

General Inquiries

Have a question, a recommendation, or just want to talk books? Those messages are welcome, too.

Author Stephen P. Kiernan writes about life, death, and love in his remarkable new novel The Hummingbird. I'm pleased to have two copies of the novel to giveaway!

From the publisher William Morrow:

From the author of the acclaimed The Curiosity comes a compelling and moving story of redemption.

Deborah Birch is a seasoned hospice nurse whose daily work requires courage and compassion. but her skills and experience are tested in new and dramatic ways when her formerly easygoing husband, Michael, returns from his third deployment to Iraq haunted by nightmares, anxiety, and rage. Deborah is determined to help him heal and to restore the tender, loving marriage they once had.

At the same time, her primary patient is Barclay Reed, a retired history professor and expert on the Pacific Theater of World War II whose career ended in academic scandal. Alone in the world, the embittered professor is now dying. AS Barclay begrudgingly comes to trust Deborah, he tells her stories from that long-ago war, which guide her to find a way to help her husband battle his demons.

Told with piercing empathy and heartbreaking realism, The Hummingbird is a masterful story of loving commitment, service to country, and absolution through wisdom and forgiveness.

Read my review of The Hummingbird here!

Stephen P. Kiernan is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. During his twenty years plus as a journalist, he has won numerous awards including the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Award, the Edward Willis Scripps Award for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment, and the George Polk Award. Kiernan is the author of The Curiosity, his first novel. He lives in Vermont with his two sons.

If The Hummingbird sounds like a book you would enjoy, enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US residents, no PO boxes please. Ends September 22, 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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3 Comments

Comments

Andrew BeckSeptember 10, 2015 at 12:08 AM
I have heard a lot of advance hype about this book and I found your review to be very helpful in pinpointing my interesting.
Olivia's CatastropheSeptember 10, 2015 at 10:24 PM
I love when I read a good book and can share it with others! Hope the giveaway goes well and whoever receives it loves it like you did ^.^
Heather KellySeptember 21, 2015 at 7:45 PM
Thanks for the chance!

A Book A Week

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About Me

It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

Honest reviews, always.

Contact