Lots of 3 out of 5 reads for December. Keeping it simple, here's the list:
THE WHISPER by Carla Neggers
Rating: 3.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Source: Amazon
Format: eBook
The December 2011 selection for the Barnes and Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers. We did not realize when selecting The Whisper that it was the fourth in a series. A little continuity was lost in not knowing the backstory of some of the characters. That aside, the Boston/Ireland setting, the suspense, and the hero/heroine romantic interaction made for a good read. Sometimes, after reading a later installment in a series, I'll go back to catchup up; however, this time I will not. Knowing who of the secondary characters in The Whisper ends up with whom would be definite spoilers for the earlier books.
AGAINST THE LAW by Kat Martin
Rating: 3.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Source: Library
Format: eBook
Third and my favorite in the Raines of Wind Canyon series.
WISHIN' AND HOPIN' by Wally Lamb
Rating: 3/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Amazon
Format: Trade Paperback
Reread for OTPS December Book Discussion.
EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 3/5 (Mystery Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Stephanie having an attack of conscience? I love him, I love him not. Oh, and the usual band of bad buys who can't shoot straight, a sunrise hairdo, Lula finds her man (or maybe not), and Grandma Mazur takes up bowling.
THEN AGAIN by Diane Keaton
Rating: 3/5 (Non-fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Not what I expected, but a beautiful homage to Ms. Keaton's mother, Dorothy Deanne Keaton Hall.
V IS FOR VENGEANCE by Sue Grafton
Rating: 4/5 (Mystery Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
V also is for vortex as the characters in Grafton's latest alphabet entry are pulled and twisted into a plot full of action and connections none of them anticipated as May 1988 came upon them all.
I LOVE THIS BAR by Carolyn Broan
Rating: 3/5 (Romance Scale)
Source: Library
Format: eBook
A wonderful not much of a book. The story of the Honky Tonk Bar, Daisy O'Dell, and Jarod McElroy was the perfect accompaniment for holiday cooking.
THE SISTERS by Nancy Jensen
Rating: 4/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Good intentions and a choice made in desperation set off the story of sisters Mabel and Bertie Fischer. Not a particularly happy family saga for Christmas week reading, but I'm glad to have spent time with these sisters and the consequences of their decisions that reverberated through three generations.
GOOD GIRLS DON'T by Victoria Dahl
Rating: 3/5 (Romance Scale)
Source: Library
Format: eBook
A good mix of characters, story, and romance. The next two in the series (Bad Boys Do and Real Men Will) are in my library eBook queue.
And with this December 2011 monthly reading report, Owls Feathers will end. Thank you to all who visited and who left comments. Reading and learning from your blogs will continue to be part of my daily routine. Wishing you all happy reading days ahead!
For anyone so interested, my books and reading comments can be found on Goodreads where my user name is Owlsfeathers.
"No heavy reading" was definitely the motto for my November reading. Lots of good romance, one fiction disappointment, and one outstanding memoir.
HUMMINGBIRD LAKE by Emily March
Rating: 3/5 (Romance Scale)
Source: Library
Format: eBook
The second in Emily March's Eternity Springs series. Not quite as good as the first (Angel's Rest), but good enough for me to reserve the third (Heartache Falls) and fourth (Lover's Leap) at the library.
First Line: The echo of the gunshot jerked Sage Anderson out of her nightmare.
ALREADY HOME by Susan Mallery
Rating: 3/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: eBook
A good story in need of some crisp editing. I did like the story of this unique family and circle of friends set against the background of a gourmet cooking/food store despite the sometimes endless passages moving me from event to event as the story played out.
First Line: "What do you think?" Jenna Stevens asked, doing her best to sound confident.
CREED'S HONOR by Linda Lael Miller
Rating: 3/5 (Romance Scale)
Source: Library
Format: eBook
In this installment of Linda Lael Miller's Montana Creeds Series, a cowboy (a Creed, of course)and a stray dog bring love and comfort to Tricia McCall. While the family interaction was interesting (loved Tricia's great-grandmother!), the stubborn hero and heroine made this story drag a bit. I know the HEA is inevitable, but I prefer storylines where the H&H work the inevitable out earlier in the book and then deal with the fallout.
First Line: Tricia McCall was not the type to see apparitions, but there were times--especially when lonely, tired or both--that she caught just the merest flicker of a glimpse of her dog, Rusty, out of the corner of one eye.
FALLING TOGETHER by Marisa de los Santos
Rating: 3/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
I fell into this author's first two books (Love Walked In and Belong To Me), but not so much her latest, Falling Together. Despite their weaknesses and the emotional hurdles they had to jump, these characters did not touch me at all. Their smugness irked me. Added to that, I didn't "get" the reasoning behind the initial breakup of the friendship. A disappointing reading experience.
First Line: Pen would not use the word summoned when she told Jamie about the e-mail later that night.
SWEET JUDY BLUE EYES: MY LIFE IN MUSIC by Judy Collins
Rating: 4.5/5 (Non-fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
With its many musical and musician references, reading Sweet Judy Blue Eyes was like déjà vu all over again. Some of what was included in the book, I knew; some, I knew once but now remember. Joy, sadness, success, failure--all covered openly and honestly in this book by the lady whose voice one friend described thusly: "If amethysts could sing...."
First Line: It's a Sunday night, and I am traveling from Hartford to New York City, heading in from a show.
COMING HOME by Mariah Stewart
Rating: 3.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Source: Library
Format: eBook
I was expecting one of those sweet hometown romances but instead got a really good story, a little suspense, a believable romance, and incentive to continue reading this series.
First Line: Diary--Whatever did we do here in St. Dennis before our little village was "discovered?"
DEEP IN THE VALLEY by Robyn Carr
Rating: 3.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Source: Library
Format: eBook
Having read all of Robyn Carr's Virgin River books to date, I thought I would go back to catch up on the Grace Vally series that introduced some of the secondary characters I met in the early VR books. I did like the way the romance played in the background while all of the characters and the town were introduced. Will put next two in this series on my library reserve list.
First Line: June stood in the shower a little longer than usual, preoccupied with a conversation she would have later in the day.
So, a comfortable November of reading. Just picked up EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN by Janet Evanovich and THEN AGAIN by Diane Keaton from the library, so December seems to be starting off with some promise!
October - Average Rating = 3.39.
Often when looking at book ratings on sites such as Good Reads or Library Thing, I wonder why books that I love get a low average rating. Well, October answered that question for me. All it takes is a single one-star rating to make a month on the face of it look mediocre at best. Here's the math behind the average.
Haunting Miss Trentwood by Belinda Kroll
Rating: 1/5 Romance Scale
Source: Amazon Kindle
Format: eBook
Haunting Miss Trentwood was the October discussion book at On the Porch Swing (a Yahoo group dedicated to books and reading). Mere words cannot describe my reaction to this book--and I was the leader of the discussion!
First Line: At two in the afternoon the coffin of Mary Trentwood's father was lowered to its grave.
Wicked Autumn by G. M. Maillet
Rating: 4/5 Mystery Scale
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
What's not to like about an MI5 agent turned Anglican priest serving at St. Edwold's in the small English village of Nether Monkslip? Against the aftermath of the annual Harvest Fayre put on by the Women's Institute, Max Tudor faces old memories and new challenges as he solves murder of one of the village's prominent citizens. Great first in a new series. I'm looking forward to visiting Nether Monkslip again.
First Line: Wanda Batton-Smythe, head of the Women's Institute of Nether Monkslip, liked to say she was not one to mince words.
Angel's Rest by Emily March
Rating: 3.5/5 Romance Scale
Source: Library
Format: eBook
Second chances in life and love are among my favorite romance themes, and Angel's Rest (first in the Eternity Springs series) did not disappoint. These characters got to me right at page 1, and I'm looking forward to more visits to Eternity Springs.
First Line: Holding a 9 mm Glock in one hand and a tumbler of single-malt scotch in the other, John Gabriel Callahan stared out the mountain home's wall of windows and knew it was time to take a hike.
Death of a Gossip by M. C. Beaton
Rating: 3/5 Mystery Scale
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Because I enjoy M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series, I decided to try her Hamish MacBeth series. In this first in the series book I was introduced both to MacBeth and to the village of Lochdubh. MacBeth's investigation of the murder at hand allowed for a great introduction to, shall we say, his idiocyncracies. While a terribly clever and unique character, Hamish has yet to charm me. I must read on in the series..
First Line: "I hate the start of the week," said John Cartwright fretfully.
Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean
Rating: 4/5 Non-fiction Scale
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
When reading blog postings and notes about Rin Tin Tin, I came across the observation that you were either a Lassie fan or a Rin Tin Tin fan. I beg to differ as I was both. In the 1950s, if a dog was involved, I read it or watched it--once the Royal Furniture truck pulled up our long driveway to deliver our very first TV. Fascinating read...Yo, Rinty!
First Line: He believed the dog was immortal.
Against the Fire by Kat Martin
Rating: 3.5/5 Romance Scale
Source: Library
Format: eBook
Second in the Raines of Wind Canyon series. Story pulled me in right away. A little tedious through the "I'll ruin his/her life if I stay with him/her" phase, but all in all a good read.
First Line: The screech of the siren didn't reach him at first.
Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo
Rating: 4/5 Mystery Scale
Source: Library
Format: eBook
First in the Maggie Thorson coffee shop mystery series. All the requisite elements for a good cozy--small town, mysterious death, amateur sleuth. I'll continue reading this series.
First Line: I was late the Monday we were scheduled to open Uncommon Grounds.
As the Pig Turns by M. C. Beaton
Rating: 4/5 Mystery Scale
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Just when you think you can't take any more of Agatha Raisin's tantrums and haughtiness, she says or thinks something that makes you forget why you thought her so odious. And thus, another enjoyable entry in this series from M.C. Beacon.
First Line: Agatha Raisin wearily turned onto the road leading down into her home village of Carsely in the Cotswolds and then came to an abrupt halt.
Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 4/5 Mystery Scale
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
All of the usual hijinx you expect from Stephanie and crew. Although, babysitting a bear may transcend "usual."
First Line: My Grandma Mazur called me early this morning.
See what I mean about averages? Absent that one-star start to the month, it was (on average) a very good reading month! Life being what it has been lately, I'm totally into light, no investment reading. And that's OK. My Kindle is loaded up with lots of romance and mystery books. I just picked up Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos from the library. A mug of tea is just a few minutes away, and my favorite reading chair awaits. I think I'm cocooning my way right into winter....
A new mystery series to follow and the third installment of a favorite mystery series were the highlights of my September reading.
Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien
Rating: 4/5 Non-fiction Scale
Source: Mt. TBR
Format: Hardcover
For a very special reason, all things owl are dear to me. Stacey O'Brien's life long devotion to Wesley was amazing. Learned a lot about owls, communication, love, and "The Way of the Owl."
First line: On a rainy Valentine's Day in 1985, I fell in love with a four-day-old barn owl.
One Coffee With by Margaret Maron
Rating: 3/5 Mystery Scale
Source: Amazon Kindle
Format: eBook
Margaret Maron is more well known for her Deborah Knott series. One Coffee With (1982) is the first book in her earlier series featuring Sigrid Harald, a NYPD homicide detective. Set on the campus of New York's Vanderlyn College, academic rivalry, petty jealousy, greed, and revenge form the backdrop to the murder of a prominent member of the Art Department faculty. I'm looking forward to reading the other seven books in this series.
First line: Few institutions of higher learning are content that their faculties do nothing but teach.
Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt
Rating: 2.5/5
Source: Amazon Kindle
Format: eBook
The September 2011 selection for the Barnes & Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers. Historical romances are known for their over-the-top sensuality, but Wicked Intentions bordered on the pornographically erotic. To paraphrase Nixon, I am not a prude; however, a very good story with a hero and heroine worth rooting for doesn't need the gratituous distractions.
First line: A woman abroad in St. Giles at midnight was either very foolish or very desperate.
Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher
Rating: 3.5/5 Fiction Scale
Source: Barnes & Noble
Format: Trade Paperback
An thoughtful story of grief, love, and secrets and a family's journey to acceptance of new loves and changes. I loved the author's dedication: This novel is dedicated to the reader. For this singular moment, it's just the two of us.
First line: Here is one way to say it: Grief is a love story told backward.
A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd
Rating: 4/5 Mystery Scale
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
The Bess Crawford series continues to intrigue me as once again in this third installment secrets of family and the war intertwine to provide a page-turning reading experience. A family mourning the death of a son and brother, a trusted friend, a portrait, and a French orphan--all seem to lead us to a murderer, or do they? And, is there a rival on the horizon for Simon Brandon's affection for Bess? The Australian Sergeant Larimore certainly seems smitten....
First line: A cold rain had followed me from France to England, and an even colder wind greeted me as we pulled into the railway station in London.
Where, or where, has the month of August gone? Well, here's where it went reading-wise for me.
Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons
Rating: 3/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
A much anticipated book that fell far too short of my expectations. Book blurbs talked of Irish literature and mythology, and they were all represented--Yeats, Tir Na Nog, Oisin, the cattle raid of Cooley, Queen Maeve, and more. But this was Thayer Wentworth's story, and unfortunately for me, the story got away, lost in the dark side of the call to come "Dance with me in Ireland."
First line: We heard it first on an early morning in June.
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
Rating: 4.5/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
I laughed and cried with the Kelleher family as the story of their Cape Neddick, Maine, summer home unfolded through the characters of Alice, the matriarch; Kathleen, her daughter; Maggie, her granddaughter; and Anne-Marie, her daughter-in-law. Ms. Sullivan was spot on in her portrayal of growing up Irish Catholic in Massachusetts in the 50s & 60s. Anyone who's been there will see themselves on these pages. Iconic Boston personalities and events are seamlessly and importantly woven into the story. I sat quietly sobbing for an hour after this story faded to an end on the last page.
First line: Alice decided to take a break from packing.
The Things We Cherished by Pam Jenoff
Rating: 3.5/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Heartfelt, difficult decisions reveal themselves through interwoven flashbacks telling the story of Roger Dykmans, a wealthy financier and brother of a Holocaust hero, accused of World War II-era crimes.
First line: "You know, don't you, that you're looking at twenty-five to life?"
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
Rating: 4/5 (Mystery Scale)
Source: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Another wonderful expose of character by Louise Penny. Armand and his wife Reine-Marie are celebrating their wedding anniversary at remote Manoir Bellechasse and share the beautiful auberge with an eccentric family's reunion. More is revealed about Chief Inspector Gamache's history as he becomes the target of scorn by the Finney family. A Rule Against Murder is not set in Three Pines, but we do learn more about one of that village's well known couples.
First line: More than a century ago the Robber Barons discovered Lac Massawippi.
The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
Rating: 3/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Two things about this book. Thing 1: Writing was exquisite. Thing 2: Story was disturbing and bordered on the discomfort side of my comfort zone. Perhaps, though, reading this modern gothic tale of love and secrets set in Provence should not have been undertaken under the specter of Hurricane Irene's arrival in New England.
First line: Some scents sparkle and then quickly disappear, like the effervescence of citrus zest or a bright note of mint.
Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmeyer
Rating: 3.5/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Yet another, but very readable, group of friends novel. I liked these women and would love to have a copy of their martini cookbook. The book's epigraph summed it up perfectly: "Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief." --Cicero
First line: Lynne Flannery took it as an encouraging sign that the day of her last martini would be the anniversary of her first.
The library books due tomorrow are all in the bag, read and ready to be returned. I've just noticed that the leaves on the walnut tree outside my window have changed from bright green to a subtle yellow, signaling the imminent arrival of September. I am going to pull something that has been languishing in my TBR to start off my September reading. Decisions, decisions....
After a reasonably temperate June, the great heat dome of 2011 spread across the country and into New England. As temperatures flirted with 100 degrees and the humidity sat consistently in the unbearable zone, reading was the one true relief. Here's what accompanied glass after glass of iced coffee in July.
Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank
4/5 Fiction Scale
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
I was swept away with this mix of the historical story of Dorothy and DuBose Heyward, Porgy House, the production of Porgy & Bess, George Gershwin, and the Charleston Literary Renaissance and the current day story of Cate Cooper and how she puts her life back together after a series of life-changing events and comes to write Folly Beach, a play based on Dorothy and DuBose.
First line: Dorothy: I married an actual renaissance man.
Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr
3.5/5 Romance Scale
Format: eBook
Source: Library via Overdrive
This visit to Virgin River for the story of Colin Riordan and Jillian Matlock has me up to date with this series by Robyn Carr. A good man with physical and emotional damage and a career driven woman with some legal baggage find love and happiness in an old Victorian home as she grows vegetables and he paints pictures. As always, the destination is known, and it's the trip that keeps you reading.
First line: Jillian Matlock was a natural in the business world and her ability to anticipate surprises and challenges was legendary.
One Night Is Never Enough by Anne Mallory
2/5 Romance Scale
Format: eBook
Source: Barnes & Noble
The July 2011 selection for the Barnes and Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers. Regency is not my favorite historical period, and this book about a young woman of the Ton being won in a card game by a Regency rake (not of the Ton) did nothing to change my opinion.
First line: She needed to slow down.
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch
4/5 Non-fiction Scale
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Nina Sankovitch sets a plan to read a book a day for a year all in an effort to assuage the sadness and guilt (the guilt of the living) that overwhelmed her following the death of her sister. This book could easily have devolved into "I read [insert title]", "Then I read [insert title]"; but in the hands of this skillful memoirist, you are taken on a beautiful journey of books, reading, and how "words are alive and literature becomes an escape, not from, but into living."
First line: In September 2008 my husband, Jack, and I went away for a weekend, leaving our four kids in the care of my parents.
One Summer by David Baldacci
3/5 Fiction Scale
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Heartbreak, loss, love, a family's renewal. A good story for reading on a summer afternoon.
First line: Jack Armstrong sat up in the secondhand hospital bed that had been wedged into a corner of the den in his home in Cleveland.
Rituals of the Season by Margaret Maron
4/5 Mystery scale
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott series is one I've been wanting to get started on for some time. While browsing the library mystery shelves recently, Rituals of the Season jumped into my hands and begged me to just start reading. Dealing with the murder of a friend and colleague of many of the town's residents, this book was an excellent introduction to this popular series. I'm going to read forward from here and catch up on the backlist when I see them on the shelves.
First line: The white sedan was later than expected, so late that the driver of the nondescript car parked on the shoulder was beginning to wonder if something had already happened to her.
Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister
4.5/5 Fiction Scale
Format: Hardcover
Source: Barnes & Noble
The web of friendship and understanding untangles and strengthens in this gem of exquisite writing.
First line: Life came back slowly, Kate realized.
Epigraph: Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? --Mary Oliver
Heat Wave by Nancy Thayer
3/5 Fiction Scale
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Carley Winsted rebuilds her life and family after the unexpected death of her husband (not a spoiler--it's on the bookcover flap). Very appropriate to read Heat Wave as the legendary heat dome of 2011 dominated July in New England.
First line: Some days recently, Carley Winsted had experienced moments of actual happiness, when her heart gave her a break.
The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
4.5/5 Fiction Scale
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
This is an artfully drawn story of Julia Stirling and what was before and what happened after the fateful events of the early 1960s. Features one of my favorite themes, but to tell you which would be a spoiler.
First line: October 1960 - "She's waking up."
A Creed in Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller
3/5 Romance Scale
Format: eBook
Source: Barnes & Noble
August selection for Barnes and Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers. First in a trilogy about the Creed men, one further series extension of the McKettricks, Stone Creek, Montana Creeds books--about 26 in all. This may be why explaining the who's who of the secondary characters seemed so tedious. The main story about Melissa O'Ballivan and Steven Creed was ok. The real star of the book was Steven's adopted son, Matt. Of course, there was a loveable dog involved as well.
First line: Some instinct--or maybe just a stir of a breeze--awakened Steven Creed; he sat up in bed, took a fraction of a moment to orient himself to unfamiliar surroundings.
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, Joy for Beginners, and The Last Letter from Your Lover hit the reading high notes in July. One Night Is Never Enough was one night too many.
First up in August: Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons.
June was a month chock full of memorable characters and luscious covers. With one exception, I was book elated through the entire month!
The Violets of March by Sarah Jio
(4/5 Fiction Scale)
Leave your need to ask "Really?" at the door and just sit back and enjoy this story of family, friends, and secrets all around.
First line: "I guess this is it," Joel said, leaning into the doorway of our apartment.
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
(3.5/5 Fiction Scale)
Again, secrets…possibly the hardest to bear--secrets of survivors of war. This story of a post WWII reunion reveals in heartbreaking detail what it took to come to the house at 22 Britannia Road and the lengths a desperate family will go to to preserve its promise. The revelation begins with the opening line: "The boy was everything to her."
Vision in White by Nora Roberts (1st in Brides Quartet)
(3.5/5 Fiction Scale)
First in a quartet of books featuring four lifelong friends who own Vows, an all-inclusive wedding service. Light romantic read and a good inbetween book.
First line: By the time she was eight, Mackensie Elliot had been married fourteen times.
Beach Roses by Jean Stone
(3.5/5 Fiction Scale)
My "this is really over the top" initial reaction to this book was soon overcome as the story of each one of the strong (even if she didn't realize it in the midst of overwhelming problems) women unfolded.
First line: Dexa-scans and mammo-scans and ultra-scans and everything.
In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
(4/5 Mystery Scale)
Series came highly recommended by another reader whose opinion I value, and this first installment didn't disappoint! Russ Van Alstyne, police chief of Millers Kill, and Clare Fergusson, new-to-town Episcopal priest, first meet when she reports a baby abandoned at the church. And so the story begins with mysteries of wrong doing and personal conflict. Very much looking forward to the next in the series, A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD.
First line: It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby.
South of Superior by Ellen Airgood
(4.5/5 Fiction Scale)
McAllaster, described as a beautiful and hardscrabble town on the southern edge of Lake Superior, is the setting for the story of Madeline Stone and how she comes to find the meaning of "tzadik." The characters jump of the pages and invite you into their world, and you go willingly with hope of finding out their secrets. Best last line of a book ever.
First line: The letter from Gladys Hansen was written in blue ink in an angular hand, on one sheet of plain white paper.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
(5/5 Fiction Scale)
For me, this book had it all--characters and setting that jump off the page and grab you while telling a story that leaves you gasping as it unfolds before your reading eyes.
First line: The news of Anders Eckman's death came by way of Aerogram, a piece of bright blue airmail paper that served as both the stationery and, when folded over and sealed along the edges, the envelope.
Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
(3/5 Fiction Scale)
Lifelong friends with secrets + one newcomer on the run + one hunky neighbor (with a secret, of course) + "charming" rental cottage in Nags Head = typical, if sometimes tedious, summer beach read.
First line: It was not an auspicious beginning for a vacation, let alone for a new life.
Best Staged Plans by Claire Cook
(2/5 Fiction Scale)
That it took me three days to read 238 pages of fluff is a good clue to my feeling about this book. I liked Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook; I really liked Multiple Choice by Claire Cook. Her more recent efforts have been, well, meh. Best Staged Plans struggled to achieve "meh" status for me.
First line: Okay, so I accidentally wrapped my reading glasses in one of the packages I mailed.
State of Wonder was tops for the month. I'm still pondering some of the conflicts that confronted the characters in this book. Sadly, Best Staged Plans just didn't do it for me--not even sure I would go back and give it a second try just to see if it wasn't the book for me at this time. Too many cutsey asides and too little story to suit my fancy.
So, I'm off to Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank to start July.
