In Just Mercy, Stevenson's first book, he recounts a situation he encountered early in his career.  It was during his fourth year with the SPDC that the young lawyer became embroiled in a real-life To Kill a Mockingbird-esque case that would teach him truths so startling and profound he would never forget them.  While visiting a prison in Alabama—a state that had a large incarcerated population and no public defender system, meaning many of its death row inmates had no legal representation at all—Stevenson met Walter McMillian, a middle-aged African-American man from, ironically enough, Monroe County, Alabama.  Like the fictional Tom Robinson, McMillian was accused of harming a young white woman.  In McMillian's case, it was a murder charge—Ronda Morrison, an 18-year-old store clerk, had been shot during what appeared to be a robbery at her place of employment.  While Morrison upheld an unblemished reputation, McMillian's was undeniably spotty.  Though married, he was a notorious ladies' man (who had just ended a troublesome relationship with his white, married lover), who was also rumored to be part of the "Dixie mafia" and a drug dealer.  Still, McMillian emphatically maintained his innocence in Morrison's killing.  Although he had an alibi for the night the crime was committed, one verified by a dozen people, police pursued the matter, which eventually landed McMillian on death row.

Midsummer's Eve, 1933—Loeanneth, the Edevane Family's summer home in Cornwall, is the sparkling center of a lavish party.  Hundreds of revelers gather on its grounds, sipping champagne, watching a bonfire burn on the lake, and enjoying the perfect weather.  It's a night of enchantment, anticipation, and excitement.  A night that will turn tragic when the disappearance of 11-month-old Theo Edevane is discovered.  With no body, no ransom note, no clue as to what has happened to the child, the case of the missing baby goes unsolved.  Crushed by grief, the Edevanes close up the lake house, never to return.

Cornwall, 2003—After making a career-ending mistake, London detective Sadie Sparrow is forced to take a leave of absence.  While cooling her heels at her grandfather's seaside cottage in Cornwall, she stumbles across a once grand, now decaying home.  Intrigued by the ruin, Sadie starts asking questions.  When she learns about Loeanneth's mysterious history, she becomes obsessed with the Edevanes.  Determined to find out what happened to young Theo, she seeks out the boy's remaining family members as well as anyone with connections to Loeanneth.

Alice Edevane, now a well-known mystery writer in her late 80s, holds pieces to the puzzle of what really happened on that summer night back in 1933.  But not all.  Although she longs to piece it all together, she doesn't want the exposure.  Can she trust Sadie Sparrow to find answers?  Does Alice really want to know the truths her family has always gone to such pains to hide?

As Sadie comes closer to solving the very cold case, she will make some startling discoveries about the Edevanes, revelations that will lead her to illuminating epiphanies about herself and her own family.  If her manic search for answers about Theo Edevane doesn't kill her first.

It's no secret that I'm a huge Kate Morton fan.  I've read—and loved—all of her novels.  Sure, they're all kind of the same, but I don't care.  I adore them.  The Lake House, Morton's newest, is no exception.  With well-developed characters, intricate plotting, and a compelling mystery, it definitely held my interest.  Some of the story's plot surprises did strike me as annoyingly convenient, but I still very much enjoyed this multi-layered family saga, which kept me guessing nonetheless.  Morton's skillful storytelling never fails to captivate me, even when I see twists coming, which is why she's quickly become one of my favorite authors.  For me, her books are must-read, auto-buy treasures.  If you dig absorbing, suspenseful reads about old houses, family secrets, and past/present mysteries, don't miss The Lake House or anything else by the incomparable Kate Morton.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Kate Morton's other novels, including The Distant Hours; The Forgotten Garden; The House at Riverton; and The Secret Keeper)

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December's been a little hectic, both in real life and on the blog.  Now that the Christmas craziness is over, I'm working on getting everything ship-shape for the new year.  That includes trying to get all the books I read in 2015 reviewed before January 1st.  With *only* 29 to go, I'm not sure I'm going to make it.  Oh well, I'll do what I can ...

In the meantime, I thought today's Top Ten Tuesday topic sounded fun.  Last time I made a TTT list, back on December 1st, it had to do with 2016 debut books I was excited to read.  This week's prompt is similar: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the First Half of 2016.  I'm still stoked about the debut novels I listed previously, but I'm also excited to see what these ten are all about:


1.  Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (January)—There's been a lot of buzz about this seafaring adventure.  I know I'm not the only one who's waiting anxiously for its release.


2.  Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (February)—The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite YA series.  Although I haven't read Fairest or Winter yet (shame on me!), I'm still looking forward to this collection of prequel stories set in the Lunar Chronicles world.


3.  Riders by Veronica Rossi (February)—I loved Rossi's Under the Never Sky series and can't wait to read the author's newest.  This one is about a boy who dies and wakes up with a new destiny and identity as War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.


4.  Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan (February)—This Rapunzel retelling sounds like another fun YA read.


5.  Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham (March)—Stepping away from YA fantasy, this adult historical sounds intriguing.  The novel concerns Mary Surratt, a widow who went to the gallows after being suspected of helping with the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.  Fascinating.


6.  Living Color by Jodi Picoult (2016)—I'm a big Picoult fan and always wait eagerly for a new novel from her.  This one, which is supposed to release in 2016, concerns a black nurse who intervenes on behalf of a white baby, even though the infant's Skinhead father has forbidden her to touch him.  When the child dies, the nurse finds herself on trial for murder.


7.  The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman (March)—This novel about two sisters-in-law and their fractured relationship sounds intriguing to me.


8.  My Last Continent by Midge Raymond (June)—Set against a harsh Antarctic backdrop, this love and survival story concerns two scientists on two different ships—one of which is sinking.


9.  The Hunt by Megan Shepherd (May)—I read The Cage, the first book in Shepherd's series about human teenagers becoming exhibits in an alien zoo, earlier this year.  The sequel comes out in a few months—I'm interested to see where the story goes next.


10.  Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies by Lindsay Ribar (June)—I'm super excited about this supernatural YA novel, which has been described as Twin Peaks meets Stars Hollow.

There you go—ten 2016 releases I can't wait to read.  What do you think?  Do we have any picks in common?  What other great titles should I look for in the new year?  I love getting suggestions from you, so please leave me a comment on this post with a link to your TTT list and I'll happily stop by to look at it.  Happy TTT, everyone!

If you're not sure what a Mormon is, let alone a Mormon Mention, allow me to explain:  My name is Susan and I'm a Mormon (you've seen the commercials, right?).  As a member of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon or LDS Church), I'm naturally concerned with how my religion is portrayed in the media.  Because this blog is about books, every time I see a reference to Mormonism in a book written by someone who is not a member of my church, I highlight it here.  Then, I offer my opinion—my insider's view—of what the author is saying.  It's my chance to correct misconceptions, expound on principles of the Gospel, and even to laugh at my (sometimes) crazy Mormon culture.

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A word of warning:  This Mormon Mention may be a bit spoiler-y, so beware.

In The Cruelest Month, the third installment of Louise Penny's popular Armand Gamache series, the great chief inspector is trying to solve the case of a woman who died seemingly of fright.  While discussing lab reports, he says:

"'Ma Huang.  An old Chinese herb.  Also known as Mormon's tea.  And ephedra" (282).

- I'd never heard of Mormon's Tea (also called Brigham's Tea in reference to Brigham Young) and apparently, there's a lot of conflicting information about it.  As far as I can glean from some quick Internet research, Mormon's Tea is made from a shrub common in the American Southwest that is related to the Chinese herb to which Gamache refers.  Its stems are chopped up, then boiled and steeped into a concoction which is said to help with common ailments like colds, coughs, joint pain, constipation, etc.  It's also supposed to cure sexually-transmitted diseases.  The brew can also be drunk as an alternative to regular tea.  According to this article (from which I got most of my information), however, no mention of Mormon's Tea can be found in pioneer diaries until after the death of Brigham Young in 1877.  So, who knows? 

If you know anything about Mormons, you probably know that we live by a health code called The Word of Wisdom, which was revealed to Church members in 1833.  The edict cautions against the use of "strong drink" as well as "hot drinks."  Early Church leaders interpreted the latter to mean coffee and tea.  Modern leaders continue to urge us to avoid any substance that is addictive in nature, thus active LDS people generally abstain from drinking coffee and caffeinated tea.  We're also told to avoid alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, and anything else that can be harmful to the body.  Anyone whose life has been touched by addiction should be able to see the wisdom in such advice, no?

Because of the damage addiction can have on individuals, families, and society in general, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers a fantastic, free recovery program that has helped many, many people overcome addictions to not only alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, but also pornography, gambling, infidelity, overeating, etc.

What we read as adults should be read, I think, with no warnings or alerts beyond, perhaps: enter at your own risk.  We need to find out what fiction is, what it means, to us, an experience that is going to be unlike anyone else's experience of the story ... There are stories I read as a child I wished, once I had read them, that I had never encountered, because I was not ready for them and they upset me ... but they also taught me that, if I was going to read fiction, sometimes I would only know what my comfort zone was by leaving it; and now, as an adult, I would not erase the experience of having read them if I could. (Introduction, pages XVI-XVII)     

A year after Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Sûcreté du Québec, first comes to tiny, idyllic Three Pines, he returns to investigate a second murder.  This time, it's domestic goddess wannabe Cecilia "CC" de Poitiers whose life has come to an unfortunate end.  Not that anyone in Three Pines will be mourning her demise.  Cold and cruel, the woman had few fans in the small town.  Still, the case is perplexing, mostly because of the very public way in which CC died.  Electrocuted at a town curling match, she was surrounded by people—none of whom have the faintest idea what happened.  Anyone could have killed her; suspects and motives abound.  But, who actually did the deed?  How?  And why?

Undaunted by the puzzling mystery he's taxed with solving, Gamache is delighted to be back in Three Pines.  The village feels like home, its residents like friends.  The chief inspector's team, which includes Gamache's loyal right-hand man, Jean-Guy Beauvoir; the young, but capable Isabelle Lacoste; proud, prickly Yvette Nichol; and over-eager local agent Robert Lemieux; is not quite as enthusiastic.  Learning to work together despite clashing personalities, hidden agendas, and flagrant prejudices might be the team's biggest challenge.  Still, Gamache is determined to bring them together, using their combined skills to help him catch a killer.

When a homeless woman in Quebec is murdered right before Christmas, Gamache is shocked to find the crime is connected to CC's death.  As his case becomes more and more complicated, the chief inspector must dig deeper and deeper to find out what really happened to CC de Poitiers.  Deception barrages him from all directions—even from within his own team—making the case ever more baffling.  Will the complications be enough to ruin Gamache's almost perfect solve record?  Or will he find CC's murderer before anyone else ends up dead?

Like our hero, I found myself eager to return to Three Pines, a charming place I'd come to love from reading Still Life, the debut novel in Louise Penny's appealing Armand Gamache series.  The second installment, A Fatal Grace, brought the setting back to vivid, gratifying life.  As much as I love the backdrop of these books, though, it's the characters that keep me coming back to Penny's books.  With their individual quirks, her warm-hearted cast is always intriguing, always entertaining.  The chief inspector provides a breath of fresh air with his "old world charm ... a courtesy and manner that spoke of a time past" (54) that makes him stand out from the usual leads in crime fiction.  A Fatal Grace also boasts a twisty plot that kept me unsure of the killer's identity until the very end of the novel.  All these things combined made this second Gamache book as enjoyable as the first.  As Three Pines is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to visit, you better believe I'll be back for more and more and more ... I just can't get enough of this enthralling series.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Armand Gamache series, including Still Life; The Cruellest Month; The Murder Stone; The Brutal Telling; Bury Your Dead; The Hangman; A Trick of the Light; The Beautiful Mystery; How the Light Gets In; The Long Way Home; and The Nature of the Beast)

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Because I had such a good time coming up with a list for today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt, I'm going to go ahead and sign up for the 2016 Debut Author Challenge hosted by ThatArtsyReaderGirl.com.  Who cares if I'm totally failing all of my 2015 challenges?  We're talking about a new year here, right?  Right.  So here are the 12 books I'm planning to read:

1.  Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
2.  This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
3.  The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
4.  Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban
5.  Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor
6.  Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
7.  The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
8.  The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden
9.  Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake
10.  Please Don't Tell by Laura Tims
11.  Where Futures End by Parker Peevyhouse
12.  The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

I'm excited to read all these fabulous-looking debuts.  Anyone else doing the challenge?  

It's been a little while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday post, but this week's topic intrigued me.  I always love to discover great new writers and 2016 appears to be a good year for them.  So many awesome-looking debut books release next year that I had a really hard time limiting myself to a list of just ten.  I did, though, and I'm excited to share them with you.  I'm anxious to see what you came up with as well.  So, please, leave me a comment on this post—I'll happily return the favor on your blog!

If you want to join in the TTT fun, be sure to click on over to The Broke and the Bookish.  Everything you need to know about this fabulous weekly meme is on their wonderful site.

Ready for my Top Ten 2016 Debut Novels I'm Looking Forward To list?  Hold on tight, 'cause here we go ... (can you tell I spent Thanksgiving weekend on rides at Disneyland/California Adventure?)

1.  The Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn N. Eves—I've loved Rosalyn ever since she told me she was "star-struck" by serving on a book awards judging panel with me :)  She writes excellent book reviews on her blog.  I'm sure her debut novel, a magical YA story set in an alternate Victorian England, will be amazing as well.  Coming Fall 2016 from Knopf.


2.  Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban—I love me a well-written middle grade historical novel.  This one, about a Japanese-American girl whose family is relocated to an internment camp during WWII, sounds like a good one.  Coming January 5, 2016, from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.


3.  This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp—Considering how many school shootings have occurred lately, this YA novel examines a frightening and timely trend.  It sounds like an intense, thought-provoking read.  Coming January 5, 2016, from Sourcebooks.

Coincidentally enough, I got an email from Sourcebooks yesterday about a fun pre-order promotion its running to celebrate the book's release.  Check out the Rafflecopter widget below if you're interested:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway


4.  Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman—Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!  This is a much-anticipated YA novel about a young Blackbeard.  Looks like a great read for any Pirates of the Caribbean fan.  Coming February 9, 2016, from Simon Pulse.


5.  The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos—This YA tale centers around the daughter of a forensic scientist who has to use the knowledge she's gleaned from her father to track him down when he goes missing.  Sounds compelling.  Coming January 26, 2016, from Balzer & Bray.


6.  Where Futures End by Parker Peevyhouse—This time-crossing YA adventure novel sounds fascinating to me.  Coming February 9, 2016, from Kathy Dawson Books.


7.  Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace—You've probably heard the buzz about this debut, a YA novel concerning a teenage girl who wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death.  Somehow, she's alive again, but her world has definitely changed ... Coming January 26, 2016, from Katherine Tegen Books.

8.  In Another Life by Julie Christine Johnson—This adult novel about a recent widow who returns to France to rebuild her life and becomes entangled in an ancient mystery sounds like a good one.  Coming February 2, 2016, from Sourcebooks Landmark.


9.  Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly—This WWII novel about three women whose lives intersect at a notorious female-only concentration camp looks fascinating.  Coming April 5, 2016, from Ballantine Books.


10.  The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock—Truth is, I would probably read this one based on the title alone!  Its premise also sounds interesting.  The story concerns three teenagers living in Alaska in 1970 and the ways in which they save each other.  Coming February 23, 2016, from Wendy Lamb Books.

So, there you go, ten debut novels of 2016 that I'm excited about reading.  What do you think of my list?  What's on yours?  Do we have any picks in common?  I can't wait to hop around the book blogosphere and see which titles you're stoked about.  Happy Top Ten Tuesday!