Author: Margarita Montimore
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Flatiron Books, 2020
Pages: 224
Rating: Recommend
Synopsis: It's new Year's Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhard has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one year old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she's told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order. . .
Hopping through the decades, pop culture fads, and much needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she's never met?
Review: This was perfect for these topsy turvy times we're living (COVID-19/quarantine). The book was definitely a departure from "typical" storytelling, and it was cute. Without spoiling it, I'd just like to say that I loved the ending.
Author: Bill Adler
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2006
Pages: 256
Rating: Recommend
Synopsis: Here are the personal philosophies, opinions, thoughts, witticisms, and feelings of such understanding and quintessential Americans as Abigail Adams, Dolly Madison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, and Hillary Clinton. These women have been more than just wives of American Presidents. Their roles have included everything from negotiating with heads of state to redecorating the White House, from debating political issues to acting as advisors, confidantes, and diplomats. Through statements made during press interviews and in speeches and writing, these women put into words what might otherwise have remained private: Abigail Adams proves herself to be a pioneer feminist; Eleanor Roosevelt defines life's ultimate success; Lady Bird Johnson recounts a soul-enriching boat ride; and much more. What they have to say about marriage, child-rearing, success, happiness, beauty in the world, education, careers for women, women in politics, relationships, growing old, and living life to the fullest is powerful and profound. The pronouncements, pet peeves, gibes, and joys revealed in America's First Ladies add texture to the more secretive administrations, and color to the sterner and more stoic ones.
Review: I liked the way this book was formatted. Each chapter is a brief biography of a first lady with some quotes from letters, speeches, or interviews. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
Author: Robin Lee Hatcher
Genre: Christian Fiction
Publisher: Nelson, Thomas, Inc, 2018
Pages: 320
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Jessica Mason isn't looking for love when she meets Ridley Chesterfield. Instead she is still reeling from the tragic, unexpected loss of her husband and daughter - and awaiting the arrival of her unborn child. Harboring the secret of her husband's betrayal, her pain is deeper than anyone she knows.
Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out in Hope Springs, Idaho avoiding a political scandal and the barrage of false media headlines that have tarnished his good name. The last thing Ridley wants is a relationship - but when fate leads Ridley to form a relationship with his reclusive and pregnant neighbor, he wonders if this small-town hideout might be more of a long-term destination.
When Jessica beings to read her great-grandfather's Bible, she finds a connection with a man she never knew. Somehow the verses he marked and the words he wrote in the margins open her heart to healing.
And as Ridley and Jessica help each other forgive the people who have wronged them, they must decide if the past will define them or if they will choose to love again.
Who I am with You weaves together a modern-day romance with Jessica's great-grandfather's story from the 1930s, reminding us that some truths can cross generations and that faith has gotten the power to transform families forever.
Review: I am really enjoying lighter novels right now, and this one hit the spot. I loved Jessica and Ridley and I was sad when I closed the book.
Author: Leila Meacham
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 1984 (republished 2016)
Pages: 256
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Some friends are more like family. . .and that's exactly how Cara Martin feels about Ryan Langston. He stood by her side through the most difficult time of her life and there's nothing she won't do for him, even now after his death. But inheriting Ryan's share of his family's ranch in west Texas and living there for a year, Cara doesn't understand what he was thinking. Still, she cannot, will not, deny Ryan's last request. . .even if it means sharing a roof with his brooding, arrogant older brother.
Jeth Langston doesn't trust Cara as far as he can throw her. Jeth is certain she prevented his baby brother from spending his last days at home. And he'll be damned if he lets this stranger take over the Langston family legacy too. Whatever the cost, he's determined to drive this beautiful outsider away-no matter how intriguing he finds her.
But as the days grow longer and sunshine sweeps across the plains, Cara can't help but fall for the untamed land-and the man whose passion for it captures her, heart and soul. Can their love bloom wild and free on this Texas ranch?
Review: I just love Leila Meacham. Her novel, Roses, is my favorite book of all time.
This novel seems a little dated, but it was first published in 1984 so that should be expected. This was truly and escape, and I loved it.
Author: Tom Brokaw
Genre: Non-fiction / Memoir
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2019
Pages: 240
Rating: Recommend
Synopsis: In August 1974, after his involvement in the Watergate scandal could no longer be denied, Richard Nixon became the first and only president to resign from office in anticipation of certain impeachment. The year preceding that moment was filled with shocking revelations and bizarre events, full of power politics, legal jujitsu, and high-stakes showdowns, and with head-shaking surprises every day. As the country's top reporters worked to discover the truth, the public was overwhelmed by the confusing and almost unbelievable stories about activities in the Oval Office.
Tom Brokaw, the young NBC News White House correspondent at the time, gives us a nuanced and thoughtful chronicle, recalling the players, the strategies, and the highs and lows of the scandal that brought down a president. He takes readers from crowds of shouting protesters to shocking press conferences, from meeting with Attorney General Eliot Richardson and White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig, to overseas missions along side Henry Kissinger. He recounts Nixon's claims of executive privilege to withhold White House tape recordings of Oval Office conversations; the bribery scandal that led to the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew and the choice of Gerald Ford as VP; the firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox; how in the midst of Watergate Nixon organized emergency military relief for Israel during the Yom Kippur war; the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court that required Nixon to turn over the tapes; and other insider moments from this important and dramatic period and event.
The Fall of Richard Nixon allows readers to experience this American epic from the perspective of a journalist on the ground and at the center of it all during this historic time.
Review: This book waffled between memoir and biography, at times in a way that was confusing. I went into it wanting to learn more about Watergate, but ultimately came away with knowing something of the time and of Richard Nixon. It was interesting.
Author: Debbie Macomber
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Random House Publishing, 2016
Pages: 416
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Nine months ago, Mark Taylor abruptly left Cedar Cove on a perilous mission to right a wrong from his past. Though Mark finally confessed his love for her, innkeeper Jo Marie Rose is unsure if he's ever coming back. The Rose Harbor Inn barely seems the same without Mark, but Jo Marie can't bear to lose herself in grief once more. Determined to move forward, she begins dating again, and finds companionship when she takes on a boarder who is starting a new chapter herself.
Recovering from a twice-broken heart, Emily Gaffney, a young teacher, is staying at the inn while she looks for a home of her own. Having given up on marriage, Emily dreams of adopting children someday. She has her eye on one house in particular - with room for kids. Although Emily's inquiries about the house are rudely rebuffed, her rocky start with the owner eventually blossoms into a friendship. But when the relationship verges on something more, Emily will have to rethink what she truly wants and the chances she's willing to take.
The inn seems to be working its magic again - Emily opening herself up to love, Jo Marie moving on - until Jo Marie receives shocking news.
Review: I loved this book so much. Emily and Jo Marie's sweet stories touched my soul. Sweet Tomorrows was a wonderful conclusion to a series that I loved so much.
Rose Harbor Series:
Book 1: The Inn at Rose Harbor
Book 2: Rose Harbor in Bloom
Book 3: Love Letters
Book 4: Silver Linings
Book 5: Sweet Tomorrows
Author: Debbie Macomber
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2016
Pages: 400
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Set in Cedar Cove's charming Rose Harbor Inn, Debbie Macomber's captivating new novel follows innkeeper Jo Marie and two new guests as they seek healing and comfort, revealing that every cloud has a silver lining, even when it seems difficult to find.
Since opening the Rose Harbor Inn, Jo Marie Rose has grown close to her handyman, Mark Taylor. Jo Marie and Mark are good friends-and are becoming something more-yet he still won't reveal anything about his past. When Mark tells her that he's moving out of town, Jo Marie is baffled. Just when she is starting to open herself up again to love, she feels once more that she is losing the man she cares about. And as she discovers the secret behind Mark's decision to leave, she welcomes two new visitors also seeking their own answers.
Best friends Kellie Crenshaw and Katie Gilroy have returned to Cedar Cover for their ten-year high school reunion, looking to face down old hurts and find a sense of closure. Kellie, known as Coco, wants to finally confront the boy her callously broke her heart. Katie, however, wishes to reconnect with her old boyfriend James-the man she still loves and the one who got away. As Katie hopes for a second chance, Coco discovers that people can change-and both look to the exciting possibilities ahead.
Review: Super cute. I think this is my favorite in this series, although I've enjoyed all of them.
Rose Harbor Series:
Book 1: The Inn at Rose Harbor
Book 2: Rose Harbor in Bloom
Book 3: Love Letters
Book 4: Silver Linings
Book 5: Sweet Tomorrows
Synopsis: It's new Year's Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhard has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one year old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she's told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order. . .
