Hello book friends and welcome to damppebbles. It’s always so nice to see you. And on a Saturday as well! Happy weekend. I hope you have some lovely bookish plans in store. My plans involve a good book, a comfy sofa and a nice cup of Yorkshire Tea. How about you? Not only is it Saturday but it’s day eighteen of #R3COMM3ND3D2023. It’s turning out to be a cracker of a year with fifty beautiful books selected by some of the most brilliant bookish folk you could hope to meet. Currently The Good Liars by Anita Frank is in the lead with two votes but let’s see how today’s picks affect the ‘leader board’…(not sure I can really call it a leader board in all honesty! 😂).

I am over the moon to welcome one of my all-time favourite bloggers to damppebbles today, it’s the utterly fabulous Lynne who blogs at Fictionophile. You absolutely, categorically must give Lynne’s blog a follow if you love books. Don’t delay, head over there now and hit the subscribe button. But make sure you come straight back to find out which three books Lynne recommends!

So, what is #R3COMM3ND3D2023? It’s about sharing the book love. It’s a chance for authors, book bloggers, reviewers and bookstagrammers to shout about three (yes, *only* three) books they love. They can be written by any author, in any genre and published in any way (traditionally, indie press or self-published). But there is a catch. All three books must have been published in 2023. To make things interesting there are a couple of teeny, tiny rules; 1) the book must have FIRST been published in 2023 and 2) special editions and reissues do not count. See, it wasn’t too painful. I just like to keep you lovely people on your toes 😉

Without further ado, here are the books Lynne recommends…

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
This novel is an ode to book lovers everywhere. Readers who find themselves at one time or another immersed in fiction. Readers who love words and eloquent writing will delight in this novel. It impacted me with a strange feeling that I cannot explain – such is the power of fiction when the author wields her magic with a polished pen.
Lynne’s Review of No Two Persons

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Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena
This is a gripping novel that depicts how one abnormal psyche can influence the lives of many. How the desire for revenge can create situations where many people can be hurt.

It is a twisty thriller that was difficult to put down.

Once again the author explores the ordinary lives of ordinary people and makes them leap from the pages as extraordinary and unique. Once again I’ve come away from reading the book thinking “Wow! That would make an excellent movie!”
Lynne’s Review of Everyone Here Is Lying

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The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange
This well crafted story was told with compassion, empathy, and a sense of justice. I was very invested in the lives of all three Connelly siblings, especially that of Tara. All three siblings were underdogs whom you couldn’t help but root for.

If you admire character-driven literary fiction with an engaging plot and characters, then you should definitely read “The Connellys of County Down“.
Lynne’s Review of The Connellys of County Down

Thank you so much, Lynne. Three great looking and sounding titles which I am sure will be added to multiple TBRs.

A quick note about No Two Persons and The Connellys of County Down. Neither of these two books are currently available in the UK. They have, however, been published where Lynne lives so they are more than acceptable. The covers I have used are from amazon.com. According to amazon.co.uk both books will be published here in 2024.

About Lynne aka Fictionophile:
Before retirement I was the fiction cataloguer for a large public library system. Now, I can read as much as I want and I enjoy sharing my thoughts on the novels I read. I enjoy spending quality time with my husband, enjoying a glass of wine with my friends, gardening, watching British television drama, doing word games, crocheting, working on graphics for my book blog, and doing jigsaw puzzles. I am the proud mother of two adult children and have one darling toddler grandson. My favourite fiction genres are mystery/thrillers, historical and literary fiction.

Lynne’s Blog and Social Media Links:
| Fictionophile | X (formerly Twitter) @fictionophile | Instagram @fictionophile56 | Goodreads |

#R3COMM3ND3D will only run for the month of November this year so places are very limited. If you would like to take part in #R3C this year (and I would LOVE you to!) then please get your three choices in ASAP. If I’m unable to fill all 30 dates then any posts scheduled for the end of November will be brought forward and I will close the series early (but I don’t want to do that, it sounds miserable! 😂). Here are two different versions of the form if you fancy taking part.

If you’re a book blogger, bookstagrammer, reviewer or an author and you have three books published this year which you want to shout about then please complete the following form (or click this link: https://forms.gle/d6HbMLZJjEtUSm8FA)