Here's what they're reading this Spring Break at Aqualina Resort & Spa, Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach, Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs, River House at Odette's, Conrad Nashville, 33 Seaport NYC, Hotel Yountville, Bardessono, Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, and so many other amazing hotels!
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Meet authors, Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg & Stacey L. Tucker
June 11, 2024 - 5pm - 7pm
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Join us!
Meet authors, Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg & Stacey L. Tucker
June 11, 2024 - 5pm - 7pm
Westport, CT
Sign up Here
Bedside Reading StacyKnows
Placing Books by the Bedsides in Luxury & Boutique Hotels
Here’s what they’re reading at... Hotel Yountville, CA
About the Carleton Sisters
by Dian Greenwood A Las Vegas showgirl, a diner waitress, and a heartbroken alcoholic—three sisters—are called into an obligatory reunion in California’s Central Valley in the late 1990s as a prelude to their mother’s impending death. Inside Diego’s Diner on Highway 99, Lorraine, the eldest of the sisters, attempts to convert the truckers and regional farmers to her religious beliefs while managing the counters and booths. Becky, the youngest, lurches into this scene after a night’s drunken romp. Meanwhile, middle sister Julie is en route on a bus from Las Vegas, where she’s just ended a long career as a Riviera showgirl. Overshadowing the longstanding tensions between the three women is the unexplained disappearance of the sisters’ long-absent father from their lives. Julie is reluctant to return to River’s End, but she makes a valiant attempt to jump-start her life again once she gets there, even as she confronts the loss of the beauty she’s long used to mask her insecurities and failed relationships. Meanwhile, Becky struggles to stay sober and out of jail—and Lorraine throws herself into cheating her sisters out of their inheritance. |
Here’s what they’re reading at... Conrad New York Midtown
Alchemy's Air
by Stacey L. Tucker Skylar Southmartin is not the naïve girl she was a short year ago. She’s made some mistakes and learned a few secrets to life, all the while clinging to the faith her mother instilled in her as a child . . . in herself. And now that she has discovered her life’s purpose within the pages of the ancient Book of Sophia, she knows what she must do: restore a vital memory to the Akashic Library, located deep within the Underworld of Earth. This library is sought after by many who are aware of its existence, for they know the future of human potential rests at its core. Meanwhile, Devlin Grayer has been elected as the 46th President of the United States and his wife, Milicent, is miserable in her new role as First Lady―especially because the Great Mothers have asked Milicent to use her new status to help their cause, and she has no interest in tackling that task. With the help of friends in the unlikeliest of places, Skylar’s journey reveals the significance of the darkness within all of us, and its potential to save or destroy the most precious part of us all: our soul. |
Here’s what they’re reading at... Conrad Nashville, TN
All the Dark Voices
by Philip Myles Dane A justice driven, modern day nomad searching for purpose awakens and is on the verge of being assassinated by life forms from the unseen world. The malevolent one, whose lies and dark voices that promote gain and greed, is leading the human species to destruction. Someone must stop the apocalypse. |
Here’s what they’re reading at... River House at Odette's, PA
And Now There's Zelda
by Carolyn Clarke It's been five years since Allison Montgomery's beloved father-in-law, George, passed away and her cantankerous mother-in-law, Margaret, moved in. After nearly killing each other during their initial adjustment period, Allie and Margaret have finally buried the hatchet and have even launched a thriving home staging business together. Today, Allie is enjoying life. That is until her twenty-two-year-old son, Cameron, unexpectedly brings home Zelda, his new fiancé. The problem is, no one has ever met or even heard of her. And when Zelda's first impression raises more than a few red flags, Allie finds herself in unfamiliar territory. Facing the prospect of becoming a mother-in-law far sooner than expected, and to someone unworthy of her darling baby boy, Allie's protective instinct kicks in. And who better to turn to for guidance and support than Margaret, her former nemesis and master of the mothers-in-law's dark arts. Allie and Margaret launch Project Zelda, an intervention of sorts designed to show Cameron who Zelda really is and to prevent him from making a catastrophic mistake. However, with Zelda's ingratiating behavior, Margaret's occasional disappearances, and Allie's doubts about turning into her own mother-in-law, will Allie find a way to reconcile her protective instincts or will history repeat itself? |
Here’s what they’re reading at... Acqualina Resort & Spa, FL
Butter, Sugar, Magic
by Jessica Rosenberg Embracing a midlife transformation has never been more delicious. At best, she's expecting a kitschy candy dish, at worst a beloved taxidermied pet, so when Cassie-newly divorced, single mom with zero prospects-discovers she's inheriting a fully stocked bakery along with a beautifully furnished apartment from a great aunt she'd never even heard of, she's convinced she must be dreaming. The apartment bizarrely adapting itself to her whims and the friendly neighbor floating fireballs in the air aren't helping. Cassie has two choices. She can hightail it out of this bewildering town and figure out another way to support her pre-teen daughter. Or she can stay and live the life of her dreams in this unsettling place where the rules of physics don't seem to apply, and people are suspiciously friendly and welcoming. When Cassie and her daughter agree to give this new place a trial run (the fantastic pet shop next door is a helpful draw), she's not convinced they've made the right choice. That hesitation just might cost her the fantastic life she and her daughter deserve. Butter, Sugar, Magic is the first book in the tantalizingly delicious Baking Up a Magical Midlife Paranormal Women's Fiction series by Jessica Rosenberg. Welcome to Portney. The coffee is hot, the pastries are magical, and your new friends can’t wait to hang out with you. |
Here’s what they’re reading at... Conrad New York Downtown
Daughter of a Promise
by Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg Days after graduating from college, Betsabé Ruiz begins her first job on Wall Street, where she plans to save enough money to eventually pursue her dreams of becoming a theatre actress. What she didn’t anticipate was that this job would allow her barely enough free time to sleep or hang out with friends, let alone take acting classes. She didn’t apprehend the magnitude of the wealth that would be swirling about her, either, or how the long hours and close quarters would infuse her professional relationships with intimacy. Still, she does her best to navigate this uncharted territory at work, where she makes an unlikely best friend and develops an unexpected attraction to her boss. Told in the retrospective as a letter to her unborn son, Daughter of a Promise is a coming-of-age tale in which a naïve Betsabé assumed leaving her past behind was the prerequisite for succeeding as an adult. The wisdom she ultimately passes on to her child, however, is steeped in the very traditions within which her grandmother raised her back in Miami.
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Here’s what they’re reading at... Harvest Inn, CA
Incurable Optimist
by Jennifer Cramer-Miller At twenty-two, Jennifer Cramer-Miller was thrilled with her new job, charming boyfriend, and Seattle apartment. Then she received a devastating autoimmune diagnosis—and suddenly, rather than planning for a bright future, she found herself soaking a hospital pillow with tears and grappling with words like “progressive” and “incurable.” That day, Cramer-Miller unwillingly crossed over from wellness to chronic illness—from thriving to kidney failure. Her chances of survival hinged upon on the expertise of doctors, the generosity of strangers, and the benevolence of loved ones. But what kind of life would that be? Spanning two-plus decades, this family love story explores loss and acceptance, moving forward with uncertainty, and forging a path to joy. Four kidney transplants later, Cramer-Miller is here to shine a bright light on people helping people in difficult times with a story that will make you want to hug the humans you love. Because sometimes it’s the sorrows that threaten to pull us apart that ultimately unite us in hope.
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Here’s what they’re reading at... The Pierre New York, A Taj Hotel , NY
Out of the Darkness
by David A. Jacinto Out of the Darkness is based on the true story of a nineteenth-century child coal miner rising out of the ashes of poverty and tragedy to change the world. It’s the story of greed, love, sacrifice, faith, and the courage to push aside fear and jump into the refiner’s fire where the finest qualities of character are forged. In 1837, seven-year-old Thomas Wright followed in his family's footsteps into one of England’s most dangerous coal mines. He struggled with childhood fears, working twelve-hour days, six days a week in the darkness 500-feet below ground. That was until disaster struck in one of England’s most horrific accidents that changes the direction of his life and the course of history. This is the fast-moving story of a young boy overcoming the iron-fisted rule of the massively wealthy lord of the land, who not only owned much of South Yorkshire’s coal mines and the villages in which the miners lived, but the mortgage on their lives. With the help of his family, he confronts the tyrannical system of industrial slavery, His Lordship’s brutal psychopathic enforcer, and a society that fostered the oppression of the working class. From his desperate beginnings, we follow Tom on a path to a brilliant career, his love affair with a strong-willed woman, and his courageous fight to help change the course of industrial slavery in England. It's a masterfully told story of the great sweep of human desire for freedom and liberty; not just for himself, but for his children and his children’s children. Like many immigrants in the mid-nineteenth century, Thomas Wright was drawn to what Abraham Lincoln called, “the last best hope on earth,” and has left a vast American legacy, including his seven-year-old great, great, great, great grandson Cole, pictured on the front cover of this book.
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Here’s what they’re reading at... Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, CA
Scape Ghost
by Nanci LaGarenne In the early summer of 1962 in San Francisco, three inmates escaped Alcatraz. Presumed dead, they became the most famous escapees of that inescapable island. What if they survived? On that night there was an unusual heat wave and a calm tide. Perhaps even a stroke of luck. Cincinnatus Jones, the former Frank Lee Morris, is a man reborn. He finds shelter in a deserted cabin in the Oakland Hills. Among the Redwoods in a primordial forest, Cincinnatus finds an unfamiliar yet soothing solace while remaining alert, as he is still a fugitive. He starts painting the nature that surrounds him, imagining he will spend his days as a hermit in the Hills. And then she shows up. Patsy Billie Vaughan, a schoolteacher for the Warden's and Officer's children on Alcatraz Island, is the owner of the cabin. Does she recognize her unlikely guest? Will she turn him in? Should he run? Cincinnatus makes his decision and then they come. Ghosts of California's railway days, pioneers of the environment, jazz and blues musicians of Oakland's Bottom. But when the four Birmingham Angels appear and later the Kent and Jackson State College students, Cincinnatus is broken open. Why him? He is a man who only wants his freedom. What are the dead trying to teach him and why should he care? Take this risky journey to freedom with Cincinnatus, a man who has never learned to trust or forgive, especially himself. Scape Ghost is the perfect escape.
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Here’s what they’re reading at... Kimpton Marlowe Hotel, MA
Take Back Your Brain
by Kara Loewentheil A manual for every woman who wants to stop endless negative self-talk, create unshakable confidence, and jump-start a life of joy and power. It all begins with your thoughts. I never look good in tight skirts. I can’t ask for a raise or my boss will think I’m greedy. I’m getting too old to find a partner. I’m a bad mom. I’m always behind. I’ll never be good enough. What if every time you had a self-critical thought, you heard it in a man’s voice? The truth is not far off. Living in a patriarchy, women absorb a lifetime of messages that say your worth is defined by your looks, your accomplishments, and how well you take care of everyone around you. In fact, these messages are so pervasive that, even knowing they exist, they still manage to program themselves into our brains. The result is that women end up feeling anxious, guilty, and vaguely ashamed of themselves no matter how much they do for others or achieve for themselves. So how do we deprogram our thoughts from patriarchy’s corrosive influence? And once we do, how can we create new, self-empowering beliefs? Master Certified Life Coach and host of the UnF*ck Your Brain podcast Kara Loewentheil knows how. Despite graduating from Harvard Law School and getting her dream job, Kara spent her twenties and thirties feeling insecure and anxious, until she learned how to change her thoughts—which led her to become a coach. In Take Back Your Brain, she draws on cognitive psychology, feminist theory, and years of experience as a neuroplasticity-focused coach to break down how the patriarchy hijacks women’s brains, and how women can get free. To bridge the gap between your inner voice and your true potential, she says, you must begin with your thoughts. By using the skills in this book to literally rewire your brain, you can create new thought patterns that will directly transform outcomes in your life. Ultimately, Take Back Your Brain invites you to replace the thoughts that no longer serve you and make room for a kind of confidence you never thought possible. Because when women unleash their true power, they awaken new possibilities for the world.
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Here’s what they’re reading at... Kimpton The Rowan Palm Springs, CA
The Good at Heart
by Ursula Werner Based on the author’s discoveries about her great-grandfather, this stunning debut novel takes place over three days when World War II comes to the doorstep of an ordinary German family living in an idyllic, rural village near the Swiss border. When World War II breaks out, Edith and Oskar Eberhardt move their family—their daughter, Marina; son-in-law, Franz; and their granddaughters—out of Berlin and into a small house in the quiet town of Blumental, near Switzerland. A member of Hitler’s cabinet, Oskar is gone most of the time, and Franz begins fighting in the war, so the women of the house are left to their quiet lives in the picturesque village. But life in Blumental isn’t as idyllic as it appears. An egotistical Nazi captain terrorizes the citizens he’s assigned to protect. Neighbors spy on each other. Some mysteriously disappear. Marina has a lover who also has close ties to her family and the government. Thinking none of them share her hatred of the Reich, she joins a Protestant priest smuggling Jewish refugees over the nearby Swiss border. The latest “package” is two Polish girls who’ve lost the rest of their family, and against her better judgment, Marina finds she must hide them in the Eberhardt’s cellar. Everything is set to go smoothly until Oskar comes home with the news that the Führer will be visiting the area for a concert, and he will be making a house call on the Eberhardts. Based on the author’s discoveries about her great-grandfather, this extraordinary debut, full of love, tragedy, and suspense, is a sensitive portrait of a family torn between doing their duty for their country and doing what’s right for their country, and especially for those they love.
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Here’s what they’re reading at... Nautilus Sonesta, FL
The Palace at Dusk
by Angela Terry Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Palace at Dusk explores the complexity of love in an illicit office romance. Harvard-educated corporate attorney Jasmine “Jae” Phillips promised herself that she wouldn’t date anyone at the office. She’s too focused on the job, and her meh dating history can be summed up with a shrug. Then came Brad Summers. When Jae’s colleague Brad enters her office—boyish and handsome with his tousled hair and sparkling green-gold eyes—and asks if she’d like to grab a drink, she’s flattered. Their conversation makes her feel alive, fascinating, and fun, and the lonely Jae can’t help but bask in Brad’s attention. Soon Jae is breaking her never-date-at-the-office rule. And when she later discovers that Brad has a wife and child, she finds herself breaking a much more serious rule. After Jae spends years in love with a man who isn’t hers and jeopardizes her career in the process, a series of unexpected developments shake her awake and force her to confront the cost—and the future—of their affair. She needs to make a choice, but love stories are rarely black and white, and the right path isn’t so clear. With her head and her heart pulling her in opposite directions, Jae must somehow chart a course between them in order to find her happily ever after. |
Here’s what they’re reading at... The Benjamin Royal Sonesta, NY
The Paris Novel
by Ruth Reichl Stella reached for an oyster, tipped her head, and tossed it back. It was cool and slippery, the flavor so briny it was like diving into the ocean. Oysters, she thought. Where have they been all my life? When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes. Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store, where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and for the first time in her life Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress—and embarks on an adventure. Her first stop: the iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces Stella to a veritable who’s who of the Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, she begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life. As weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a “tumbleweed” at famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and discovers a passion for food that may be connected to her past. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home. |
Here’s what they’re reading at... The Ven at Embassy Row, Washington DC
The Twenty
by Marianne C. Bohr Marianne Bohr and her husband, about to turn sixty, are restless for adventure. They decide on an extended, desolate trek across the French island of Corsica—the GR20, Europe’s toughest long-distance footpath—to challenge what it means to grow old. Part travelogue, part buddy story, part memoir, The Twenty is a journey across a rugged island of stunning beauty little known outside Europe. From a chubby, non-athletic child, Bohr grew into a fit, athletic person with an “I’ll show them” attitude. But hiking The Twenty forces her to transform a lifetime of hard-won achievements into acceptance of her body and its limitations. The difficult journey across a remote island provides the crucible for exploring what it means to be an aging woman in a youth-focused culture, a physically fit person whose limitations are getting the best of her, and the partner of a husband who is growing old with her. More than a hiking tale, The Twenty is a moving story infused with humor about hiking, aging, accepting life’s finite journey, and the intimacy of a long-term marriage—set against the breathtaking beauty of Corsica’s rugged countryside.
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