Last month I was in Italy with the Glam Italia Tours and wasn’t able to post on here, but of course I was still reading and listening to loads of books. When I’m traveling I listen to loads of audiobooks, especially in airports and on trains and buses. I’ll be traveling all summer until the end of October, then again in November and in December, so will be consuming tons of audiobooks all year.
If you are new to the Glam Italia bookclub, this is not about brand new books. It is about fantastic books. Most great authors have wonderful backlists that don’t get as much attention, but are soooo deserving of it. The books I talk about in the book club are what I read and listened to this month/last month. I’m sure you are going to love them too!
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With that in mind I want to tell you about Amazon’s free trial program with Audible, the largest seller of audiobooks in the world. You can get a free 3-month trial of audible at the moment. Consume all the books and if you want to keep going they have subscription options, or you can opt out. Your choice. Check out the Audible free 3-month trial here.
Audiobooks
Some of the audio books I’ve loved over the past couple of months:
The Medici Return
I just finished The Medici Return by Steve Berry. It’s a fantastic mystery/thriller involving the Catholic Church and the Medici family, both back in the 1500s and in modern day. It is part of a 20 book series with a mystery solving protagonist called Cotton Malone. I loved it and am excited to have a new series that takes place across multiple countries. This book is available in paperback, kindle and audible formats. Check here on Amazon.
Cold Tuscan Stone
Cold Tuscan Stone is the first book in series. The protagonist, Rick Montoya is a translator who left New Mexico to build a life in Rome. He gets recruited by the Italian Art Squad to take an undercover mission to Volterra posing as an art buyer from Santa Fe while trying to flush out traffickers in priceless Etruscan burial urns. On his first day in Volterra, the first gallery employee he meets with suddenly mysteriously dies. This is a tremendous story that gallops through Volterra with twists and turns, murders and art heists. I loved it. Available in Paperback, Kindle and Audible formats. See here on Amazon.
I absolutely loved The Expats by Chris Pavone. If you enjoy books about spies and espionage set in European cities and in New York, you too will love this brilliantly written, incredibly clever story. This one is the first of a 2 part series, and I have the second book lined up and ready to go. I only discovered Chris Pavone recently and am already 4 books deep. Available in Paperback, Kindle and Audible formats, see here on Amazon.
On Kindle
I also consume an enormous number of books on my Kindle Paperwhite. (In fact once I have this post finished I will be floating around my pool reading my kindle.) The past couple of months I’ve both been reading newly purchased books, and have also been reading books I bought eons ago and forgot to read.
Under A Siena Sun by T.A Williams is a fun beach read for anyone who loves Tuscany. The protagonist, Lucy, is a doctor who leaves a dangerous post in the Congo with Doctors Without Borders for an easier, less stressful life in Tuscany. Lucy is consumed with internal conflict, not being able to balance the extreme poverty of her previous patients in war torn Africa with the wealth and advantage of her current patients in Siena. Her turmoil grows when she encounters injured tennis star David Lorenzo, whose potent smiles make Lucy forget her aversion to the rich. She’s soon falling for the sportsman but feels like she’s losing herself in this world of excess. All she’s ever wanted was to help the underprivileged and be a positive change in the world, so can her future lie in Siena at the clinic – with David?
This sunny romance is the perfect summer escape. Available in paperback, kindle and audible formats. See here on Amazon.
Related Post: 10 Fabulous Books Set In Venice
Collecting Can Be Murder
Collecting Can Be Murder is another book I bought ages ago, probably from a Bookbub email, and then forgot about. I recently rediscovered it in my kindle library and enjoyed it so much I ordered the next in series as soon as I finished it.
This time instead of Italy, this book is set in France. After tragedy struck three years earlier, art sleuth Carmen De Luca vowed to never work in the field again. But fifty is too young to fill her days with water aerobics and bingo, so when her former partner calls and begs for her help, Carmen gladly agrees.
Yet after their first assignment – the recovery of a rare medieval prayer book from an eccentric collector living in rural France – goes horribly wrong, Carmen ends up in the crosshairs of both the local police and a murderer!
With her target dead and the stolen book missing, she and her partner will have to pull out all of the stops to sleuth out the true killer’s identity – before their stay in France becomes permanent.
Introducing Carmen De Luca, an art sleuth with a nose for mystery and the job of locating valuable artwork stolen from museums around the world. If you love strong and resourceful heroines, puzzling mysteries, and a dash of art history, pick up Collecting Can Be Murder now!
Available in paperback, kindle and audible formats. See here on Amazon.
The Perfect Place is another fantastic summer read. Again this one takes place in France and takes you through plenty of twists and turns with a fabulous chateau in the center. What would you be willing do to get a French Chateau?
Elle Littlewood can barely believe her luck when her producer tells her about the chance to get her hands on a dilapidated chateau in Aix-En-Provence, France for a rock bottom price. It seems too good to be true, but as a home interiors influencer, she knows this would make incredible content. Lately, Elle has noticed the cracks start to show. Her life is the envy of thousands, and her social media posts show a beautiful, accomplished woman. Yet this wasn’t always the case. If they knew the truth about her past, they would never look at Elle the same way again.
Elle needs this house. She doesn’t care that it comes with huge strings attached. And when people get in her way, there’s nothing Elle won’t do to protect her brand. After all, she’s survived by doing things that people could never imagine – and knows she would do them again.
Related post: 7 Sensational Books Set In Naples
Murder In Pitigliano by Camilla Trinchieri is the 5th in the Tuscan Mystery series. I’ve loved the first four, so had this one on pre-order. The first four are set in a gorgeous little town close to where I take my Glam Italia Tour travelers for cooking lessons, and this one is set in Pitigliano, a fantastic town where I spent a week a couple of years back. Lots of reasons to devour this book.
Ex-NYPD detective Nico Doyle finds himself unwittingly stepping into the role of a PI to investigate a murder that has torn a young family apart in this rustic mystery set in the beautiful Medieval village of Pitigliano, Italy.
One morning at his favorite café, Nico Doyle notices Cilia, a seven-year-old girl he has never seen before, frolicking with his dog on the floor. He later discovers she has left a note in his collar—Please help my babbo.
With help from the local carabinieri, Nico discovers that Cilia’s father, Saverio, has fled town following an unfortunate incident. His business partner was killed at their electronics store, and Saverio is the hot-headed local carabiniere’s main suspect. Cilia’s mother, Livia, who just moved to Gravigna to get away from Pitigliano’s wagging tongues, asks Nico to find the real killer and hands him a long list of suspects. Against his better judgment, Nico accepts for Cilia’s sake. Since the case is outside of the local carabinieri’s jurisdiction, Nico finds himself on his own as he travels back and forth to Pitigliano. He goes down Livia’s list of suspects one by one in pursuit of the truth, putting his skills as a retired NYPD detective to work. But will Livia and her little girl be happy with what Nico finds?
Finally, the audiobook that is at the top of my must-have list: Let Them, by Mel Robbins. Although it is available on kindle I’m getting this one next on Audible. I love Mel Robbins message and I also love her voice. There’s something about her voice that cuts through all the B.S and gets right to your brain with her powerful messages. This time two of the most important words in the world: Let Them.
What if the key to happiness, success, and love was as simple as two words?
If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn’t you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.
In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins—New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can’t control and start focusing on what truly matters: YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.
Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that’s made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. As you listen, you’ll realize how much energy and time you’ve been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.
I hope you enjoyed this month’s entries in the Glam Italia Bookclub! I have loved all of these books and hope you will read/listen to and love them too!
