Author: Joe Bullick and Jennifer Gill Kissel
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc., 2012
Pages: 88
Rating: Highly Recommend
Review: Such a sweet story. Despite unfortunate circumstances, Joe Bullick's childhood was filled with love, and he had every opportunity to succeed. Many of the locations mentioned in this book are familiar to me. I really enjoyed this very short book.
Author: Connie Schultz
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2020
Pages: 480
Rating: Highly Recommend
The evolution of women's lives spanning the second half of the twentieth century is at the center of this beautiful novel that richly portrays how much people know - and pretend not to know - about the secrets at the heart of a town, and a family.
Review: I loved this book - the setting, the plot, the characters (flawed though they are). The Daughters of Erietown felt real to me, as if these people could be my next door neighbors. Set in 1950s, and following the McGinty family into the 1970s, the story is still relevant in 2020.
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2020
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend
With help from their friends, Irene and her sons set up their lives while evidence mounts that the helicopter crash that killed Russ may not have been an accident. Meanwhile, the island watches this drama unfold - including the driver of a Jeep with tinted windows who seems to be shadowing the Steele family.
As a storm gathers strength in the Atlantic, surprises are in store for the Steeles: help from a mysterious source, and a new beginning in the paradise that has become their home. At last all will be revealed about the secrets and lies that brought Irene and her sons to St. John - and the truth that transformed them all.
Review: This is the last book in this trilogy, and while it was the weakest of the three, it was still great fun. This was a fun winter escape that I read on the heels of a winter storm that dropped 10" of snow on us. I really enjoy Elin's writing.
Other Elin Hilderbrand Novels:
The Five-Star Weekend
Summer of '69
The Blue Bistro
Golden Girl
The Hotel Nantucket
The Island
The Castaways
The Winter Street Series
Winter Street
Winter Stroll
Winter Storms
Winter Solstice
The Winter in Paradise Trilogy
Winter in Paradise
What Happens in Paradise
Troubles in Paradise
Author: Jennifer Robson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2018
Pages: 400
Rating: Highly Recommend
Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what her Nan's connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?
With The Gown, Jennifer Robson take us inside the workrooms where on of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.
Review: This book gets rave reviews every time I see someone post about it, but still I wondered, "how could a book about a dress be that good." It was on display at the library and I figured I'd finally try it. It really is that good. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Since no organized religion will claim affiliation with the WBC; it's perhaps more accurate to think of them as a cult. Lauren Drain was thrust into that cult at the age of 15, and the spat back out again seven years later.
Banished is the first look inside the organization, as well as a fascinating story of adaptation and perseverance.
Lauren spent her early years enjoying a normal life with her family in Florida. But when her formerly liberal and secular father set out to produce a documentary about the WBC, his detached interest gradually evolved into fascination, and he moved the entire family to Kansas to join the church and live on their compound. Over the next seven years, Lauren fully assimilated their extreme beliefs, and becase a member of the church and an active and vocal picketer. But as she matured and began to challenge some of the church's tenets, she was unceremoniously cast out from the church and permanently cut off from her family and from everyone else she knew and loved.
Review: I don't recommend this book because it's repetitive in its stories and message. A good editor could have tightened it up and made it a more compelling read. That said, it's interesting. I am a moth to flame when people are willing to talk about their time in a cult - how they ended up in one, what it was like, and escaping.
Author: Kate Alcott
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Knogf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2015
Pages: 304
Rating: Recommend
Synopsis: Julie Crawford left Fort Wayne, Inidna with dreams of being a Hollywood screenwriter. Unfortuntely, her new life is off to a rocky start. Fired by the notoriously demanding director of Gone with the Wind, she's lucky to be rescued by Carole Lombard, whose scandalous affair with the still-married Clark Gable is just heating up.
As Carole's assistant, Julie suddenly has a front-row seat to two of the world's greatest love affairs. And while Rhett and Scarlett - and Lombard and Gable - make movie history, Julie is caught up in a whirlwind of outsized personalities and overheated behind-the-scenes drama. . .not to mention a budding romance of her own.
Review: While I was never engrossed in the story or absorbed into the characters' lives, this was an interesting novel. I loved reading about the making of Gone with the Wind, an epic novel an movie.
I didn't love the ending, but it did ring true to life so I guess I can't fault the author for that.
Review: Laura didn't come off as the weak and vulnerable character that Roberts kept insisiting she was, but the story as a whole was cute. Gabriel pushed the whole angel thing a bit too much too. But, overall. this plot and these characters worked against the backdrop of Christmas.
Author: Susan Mallery
Genre: Fiction / Christmas
Publisher: Harlequin, 2014
Pages: 384
Rating: Recommend
A guarded Dylan has always had a weakness for Molly, and when she waltzes back into his life - grown-up and gorgeous - he's stunned. So why not whisk her away for some no-strings-attached fun.
Laughter-filled days and late-night kisses are changing Molly's life, for good. The only gift she truly wants now is Dylan's love, but when she discovers the secret she's been keeping, she may lose him again, this time for ever.
Review: I read a Christmas book on Halloween :-), and it was so cute. I couldn't stop thinking about Molly and Dylan all day. Hangover! This was predictable, but super cute and I really like how Mallery developed the characters' relationship. It was a good way to end the month.
Other Susan Mallery Novels:
The Friendship List
The Sister Effect
Wishing Tree Series
The Christmas Wedding Guest
Home Sweet Christmas
Mischief Bay Novels
The Girls of Mischief Bay
The Friends We Keep
A Million Little Things
Author: Carly Phillips
Genre: Chick Lit
Publisher: CP Publishing LLC
Pages: 406
Rating: Do Not Recommend
Detective Quinn Donovan thought he located Zoe Costas. Beautiful, dark haired and a perfect match to the description he'd been given, he believes he has his lady. Except as it turns out, the gorgeous women is Zoe's twin Ariana, the college professor. Suddenly, Quinn's job is more about trying to protect Ari who is in trouble deeper than the Atlantic at high tide. There's more at stake than trying to protect her without spilling his well-guarded secrets.
Review: In an attempt to find a new light / fun author, I settled on Carly Phillips. This was an escape, but I need a real story and this was just fluff fluff fluff sex fluff sex fluff fluff. This genre serves a purpose, but I needed more. I do not plan to continue with this series.
Captain Ben Coleridge would like nothing more than to leave without the woman who broke his heart, but he refuses to wait even one more day to get started. This survey is a screen for another, more personal mission, one he cannot share with any member of this team.
As dangers arise from all sides, including within the survey party, Meg and Ben must work together to stay alive, fulfill their duties, and just maybe, rekindle a love that neither had
completely left behind.
Review: This was predictably sweet, and fun, easy read. It delivered on exactly what I expect from this genre. I started looking up other books by this author already.
There's another series by another author called "Vintage National Parks." This is not that, but since it's vintage Grand Canyon, I classified it this way.
Author: Max Lucado
Genre: Christian / Inspirational
Publisher: Nelson, Thomas, Inc., 2015
Pages:
Rating: Recommend
Synopsis: In You'll Get Through This, pastor and New York Times bestselling author, Max Lucado offers sweet assurance, "Deliverance is to the Bible what jazz music is to Mardi Gras: bold, brazzy, and everywhere." Whether you find yourself in the pit of financial downturn, job loss, health crisis, or relationship stresses, God has a plan and a pathway forward for you.
Max reminds readers that God doesn't promise that getting through trials will be quick or painless. That certainly wasn't the case for Jospeh who was tossed in a pit by his brothers, sold into slavery, wrongfully imprisioned, forgotten and dismissed, but God ultimately used the intended evil against Joseph for a greater purpose.
Review: One line in the whole book jumped out at me. On page 116, "Forgiveness doesn't diminish justice; it just entrusts it to God."
I actually got a lot out of this book, and it was just what I needed. Work has been stressful and with my husband's health issues, this helped me reset my course. I really like Lucado's writing style and his ability to inject some humor into his (powerful) message.
Author: Lucy Sanna
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher, 2016
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend
The war has taken its toll on the Christiansen family. With food rationed and money scarce, Charlotte struggles to keep her family well fed. Her teenage daughter, Kate, raises rabbits to earn money for college and dreams of becoming a writer. Her husband, Thomas, struggles to keep the farm going while their son, and most of the other local men, are fighting in Europe.
When their upcoming cherry harvest is threatened, strong-willed Charlotte helps persuade local authorities to allow German war prisoners from a nearby camp to the pick the fruit.
But when Thomas befriends one of the prisoners, a teacher named Karl, and invites him to tutor Kate, the implications of Charlotte's decision become apparent - especially when she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Karl. So busy are they with the prisoners that Charlotte and Thomas fail to see that Kate is becoming a young woman, with dreams and temptations of her own - including a secret romance with the son of a wealthy, war-profiteering senator. And when their beloved Ben returns home, bitter and injured, bearing an intense hatred of Germans, Charlotte's secrets threaten to explode their world.
Review: A World War II novel set in the United States? Yes please. I was hooked from the first page. Approximately midway through something happened and I thought for sure this book had jumped the shark, but the author reigned it back in.
At times I wasn't sure if I was reading a historical fiction or young adult novel, but overall I enjoyed this. There was more this author could have explored, and several reviews mentioned the ending was rather weak, but still a different sort of World War II story. I'll take it.
Author: Beth Kendrick
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2014
Pages: 336
Rating: Highly Recommend
Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.
Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn’t be kissing him. She definitelyshouldn’t be falling in love.
After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything....
Review: A couple weeks ago I had picked up the second book in the series not realizing that it wasn't a stand-alone novel. I set it aside and requested the first book, Cure for the Uncommon Breakup.
It's typical fluff; cute, funny, predictable, a fast read, and one of the better books I've read in this genre. I plan to keep going with this series. Thoroughly enjoyed this first book.
Author: Kim Hawks
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow & Company, 2001
Pages: 240
Rating: Recommend
There is much about this bold, enigmatic strangers that frighterns Bess, but there is something that draws her to him as well. And Quick himself is undone by the exquisiste loveliness of this dark-eyed miss who lustrous black hair cascades well past her waist.
Soon there are no secrets between them, as Jason reveals the truth to the lady who has, in an instant, become his eternal love. It is he whom the redocats seek, the daring highwayman, the most wanted man in Dorset. For Bess, who long ago resigned herself to a life of toil and drudgery yet has never strayed from respectability, the shock of Jacon's revelations cannot dampen the fire that now burns in her breast. There is a tender heart within him, and nobility to his criminal purpose. And no love in history has ever been more fated, or more dangerous. One more brazen robbery and Jason can Quick can fulfill the sworn duty that has determined the course of his life. Then he and his lady can begin anew together in the far colonies, across a vast ocean. But treachery breeds in unexpected corners and dastardly traps are set in the shadows, even as the highwayman sits astride his stallion beneath his true love's window and vows, "I"ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."
Kate Hawks, a stunning new voice in historical fiction, renders a tale rich in atmosphere, passion, adventure, and intense emotion, a magnificent, heartfelt retelling of one of the most enduring love stories of all times.
Review: The Highwayman is my favorite poem. I first read it in middle school, and it captured my imagination. I've read it various times over the years, and it is still just so good.
Imagine my suprise when I was browsing the library shelves and saw the title, "Watch by Moonlight." It was a familiar phrase so I pulled the book out and read the synopsis. It was genius, the backstory of this amazing poem. Who would have thought? Well, Kate Hawks, apparently.
If I have one criticism it's that there are almost too many details mid-way through, too much imagining. The beginning was good, the middle dragged slightly, and the ending was amazing.
Author: Candacy Taylor
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Abrams, 2020
Pages: 260
Rating: Highly Recommond
Review: I loved this book. The perfect complement to The Warmth of Other Suns, also excellent, and the movie The Green Book, which I also enjoyed.
This book touched on themes that are interesting to me, race relations, travel, and history. I wish the author would have left her personal opinions out and just told the story, but I definitely highly recommend it.
The Overground Railroad is organized and laid out well. The images and photographs included throughout are strategically placed, and make the story itself even more rich.
Author: Sofia Lundberg
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: HMH Books, 2019
Pages: 304
Rating: Recommend
When Doris was a girl, she was given an address book by her father, and ever since she has carefully documented everyone she met and loved throughout the years. Looking through the little book now, Doris sees many crossed-out names of people long gone and is struck by the urge to put pen to paper. In writing down the stories of her colorful past - working as a maid in Sweden, modeling in Paris during the 30s, fleeing to Manhattan at the dawn of the Second World War - can she help Jenny, haunted by a difficult childhood, unlock the secrets of their family and finally look to the future. And whatever became of Allan, the love of Doris' life?
Review: This book was a slow starter, as a lot of character driven novels are for me, but I was compelled to stick with it. I'm so glad I did.
I loved Doris and she took on the appearance of my own, now-deceased, grandmothers as the story progressed.
If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove and/or Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, this book is for you.
Author: Mary Simses
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company, 2014
Pages: 368
Rating: Recommend
The rescue turns Ellen into something of a local celebrity, which may or may not help her unravel the past her grandmother labored to keep hidden. As she learns about her grandmother and herself, it bcome s clear that 24-hour visit to Beacon may never be enough.
Review: The blueberry didn't fall far from the bush. . .isn't that how the old saying goes?
Ellen and her grandmother led oddly similar lives, but that happens doesn't it? Both dumped men who loved them, and abandoned their passions. Although, I'd like to think Ellen is still doing photography; maybe taking pictures of the spoils from the cafe for her baking blog :-)
At first blush this is just another cheesy, light, and fun romance novel, but if you dig a little deeper, life in all its messy glory is there.
Author: Christina Baker Kline
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher, 2017
Pages: 278
Rating: Highly Recommend
As a young Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was one such child, sent by rail from New York City to an uncertain future a world away. Returning east later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful existence on the coast of Maine, the memories of her upbringing rendered a hazy blur. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past.
Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer knows that community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvenile hall. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through her keepsakes and possessions, she discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as they appear. A Penobscot Indians who has spent her youth in and out of foster homes, Molly is also an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past.
Review: Put on my list as a new release, I grabbed a copy as I was walking past a display at my library. This is one of those books you wish you could read again for the very first time. It's an amazing story.
I was aware of the orphan trains and have actually read at least one other book about them, but this is so well written. It's told in alternating timelines that I don't love, but it works for this novel. The author made a conscious effort to weave Vivian and Molly's stories together so that the transition between the present and past was seamless.
If you pick this book up, and I highly recommend that you do, make sure you check out the additional information and interview with the author at the back of the book. It creates a richer understanding of the time and circumstances.
Author: Elizabeth Jeffrey
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Severn House Publishers, 2010
Pages: 220
Rating: Recommend
Review: I didn't realize when I picked this book up that I had ready another book by Elizabeth Jeffrey, but I read Meadowlands in 2019. As with this book, it was the cover that drew me to that one. And, the covers are quite similar, both are graced by estate homes.
Regardless, I like Jeffrey's writing style. She tells a good story with no wasted words and the plot moves, each conversation and scene propelling the novel forward. Despite it's relative predictability in plot, I couldn't put this one down, and that is the marker of an excellent storyteller.
I will seek out more novels by this author.
Author: Rachel Magee
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing, 2019
Pages: 298
Rating: Recommend
They're all going to attend the same wedding, and Paige plans to win Brody back. She even enlists her best friend's brother, Aiden, to pretend to date her and make her ex jealous. A breezy, charming restaurant owner, Aiden actually avoids serious relationships, but as a fake boyfriend, he's perfect.
As old friends and exes take part in wedding preparations and enjoy the beauty of the Florida coast, they begin to see themvelseves - and each other - in a new light.
Review: Super cute and exactly the type of "fluff" I wanted. Someday I'll get back into reading heavier novels, but there's nothing wrong with light reading and escapes.
Author: Nora Roberts
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2014
Pages: 336
Rating: Do Not Recommend
After losing her husband and returning to her hometown, Clare Brewster settles into her life as the mother of three young sons while running the town's bookstore. Though busy, Clare is drawn across the street by Beckett's transformation of the old inn, wanting to a closer look, both at the building and the man behind it.
Review: I wanted another fun, fluff novel, but this one just didn't do it for me. The fluff factor was there in a predictable romance, but the supporting plot was very much meh. This was my first Nora Roberts novel and if this is "typical" then I don't think I'll read another, not even to continue this trilogy (at least not right now).
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2014
Pages: 480
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Take a splash of betrayal, add a few drops of outrage, give a good shake to proper behavior and take a big sip of a cocktail called. . .Ladies' Night.
Grace Stanton's life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger take a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and ives above a rundown beach bar called "The Sandbox," is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to the best only commonality. When their "divorce coach" starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?
Review: This book was pure entertainment and a great escape. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Synopsis: Some people stay all summer long on the idyllic island of Belle Isle, North Carolina. Others come only for the weekens, and the mix between regulars and "the weekenders" can sometimes make sparks fly. Riley Griggs has a season of good time with friends and family ahead of her on Belle Isle when things take an unexpected turn. While waiting for her husband to arrive on the ferry one Friday afternoon, Riley is confronted by a process server who thrusts papers into her hand. And her husband is nowhere to be found.
So she turns to her island friends for help and support, but it becomes clear that each of them has their own secrets, and the clock is ticking as the mystery deepends. . .in a murderous way. Now Riley must find a way to investigate teh secrets of Belle Isle, the husband she might not really know, and the summer that could change everything.
Review: This was my first Mary Kay Andrews novel. She and Diane Chamberlain, one of my fave authors, are friends in real life so I had been wanting to read her for awhile. As far as I can tell by reading reviews this isn't one of her better novels, but I enjoyed it. I was looking for a book I could escape into, and I found it. Success.
Synopsis: Home is the place to heal, right? At least, that's what Dillon Michaels is hoping as she leaves her disappointing career and nonstarter love life behind to help her grieving and aging grandfather on his small Oregon farm. The only problem? Her eccentric mother beat her there and has taken over Dillon's old room. After a few nights sleeping on a sagging sofa, Dillon is ready to give up, until she receives an unlikely gift, her grandfather's run-down vintage camp trailer, which she quickly resolves to restore with the help of Jordan Atwood, the handsome owner of the local hardware store.Author: Genki Kawamura
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Flatiron Books, 2019
Pages: 176
Rating: Recommend
With each object that disappears, the postman reflec
ts on the life he's lived, his joys and regrets, and the people he's loved and lost.
Review: I liked this book, but I didn't have any revelations while reading as it seems many other have. Quick read, well worth the time.
Synopsis: It's Livia's 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up fort he wedding they never had. Everyone who leves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who's studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won't be there.
Synopsis: Based on interviews with more than one hundred people in five countries, The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump draws and unprecedented portrait of the first lady. While her public image is of an aloof woman floating above the political gamesmanship of Washington, behind the scenes Melania Trump is not only part of President Trump's inner circle, but for some key decisions she has been hissingle most influential advisor.
Synopsis: A tender, classic love story about the power of first love and the promise of a second chance. . .
