Book Review: The Matchmaker

Yesterday I finished The Matchmaker by Elin Hildebrand. The book is a light read about a woman who is determined to find love for those she loves before it is too late.

Elin Hildebrand weaves an intricate story of love - first love, companionship love, dangerous love and family love. Dabney Kimball Beech is the unofficial matchmaker of Nantucket Island. She has spent her life finding love for others yet regretting the love she lost many years ago when the man who holds her heart left the island. Fear keeps her on Nantucket. Married with a wonderful job and a grown daughter, Dabney must come to terms with the return of her first love, a stagnant marriage, a pending engagement for her daughter and life-threatening discovery.

Who doesn't want to read a book set on Nantucket in the summer during some of the coldest days of winter here in Pittsburgh? I love Elin Hildebrand's books, as predictable as some of them maybe they offer an escape to summer in a beautiful location. The books always have a story line that makes it hard to put the book down, always wanting to find out what happens next. I love her books because although the books are not a series, there are always characters that appear in more than one. The more you read, the more you realize these connections.

Obviously, I love Elin Hildebrand's books and not just because they are set on Nantucket. She's a great writer as well. I read more fiction now than I used to but there are really only three authors I highly recommend for beach reading - J. Courtney Sullivan, Jennifer Weiner and Elin Hildebrand. If you haven't read one of hers or their books, do! I normally only read them in the summer but let me tell you that reading it in the winter might have even been better! Bundle up, go to the library and check the book out and return home for a nice little escape to the beach!

Happy Reading!

Weekend Reads: Me Before You and We Were Liars

Me Before You
Jojo Moyes

The only reason I read Me Before You was because I thought I might want to see the movie. I typically don't read books that are extremely popular, although I am starting to more. After reading the book, I really have no desire to see the movie and although I rated the book four stars on Good Reads, I'm just not sure the book plot warrants a movie.

For those of you who have seen the movie preview, you probably have a basic idea a summary of the book. Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living with her parents in a small town in England who has been with her boyfriend for more than five years and works at the local coffee shop. When the coffee shop closes unexpectedly, Louisa finds herself without an income and lacking the skills for the majority of the jobs available. She accepts a position as an informal caretaker to young quadriplegic after much encouragement from her family and boyfriend. After getting off to a rocky start, Louisa finds she actually enjoys working with Will Traynor and eventually their employer-employee relationship becomes more like friends and then possibly might even be considered boyfriend-girlfriend. However, Louisa is caught off guard by a decision Will is about to make and the terms of her employment. She attempts to quit before her feelings and beliefs become too involved in the situation but it doesn't work and she is forced to make some difficult decisions along with Will.

(If I say anything more, it would give away too many spoilers to the plot.)

I almost feel that everything worthwhile, if you can call it that happened in the last 100 pages of the book. Now that I'm done and after reading the next book I reviewed, this book felt like it was a bit slow going. It took me longer to read than expected as well. The characters all drove me a little nuts at some point as well but I think their faults just added to how they helped others in the story discover their strengths and ambitions. I almost feel like this book had so much hype around it and it really wasn't all it was cracked up to be. There was so much more potential here to do more with the story line. Again, there is so much about this book that I don't want to give away that I won't say much more about it.

If you plan to see the movie or you need a book for the beach, read it. I'm too critical and I'm finding lately that I rate a book on Good Reads and by the time I write the review my entire opinion has changed about the book after thinking into it more.

We Were Liars
E. Lockhart

I hadn't intended on finishing two books this weekend but when I started this one I couldn't put it down. I did though because I had so much to do around the apartment but I of course treated myself with reading a few chapters for every item I crossed off my to-do list. When I went to bed I had less than 100 pages left and I needed to know what happened, so of course I stayed up and finished it. I'm suffering that decision now as I'm struggling to stay awake.

The Sinclair family has been summering on their own private island, Beechwood, for generations. The patriarch has a house and his three daughters also all have houses across the island. As one might imagine, you would have to be quite wealthy to own an island with four large homes on it and money is not a problem for the Sinclair family. However, there is much turmoil regarding trust funds, inheritances, the island houses and the patriarch's will as he becomes older and more demented. While the three sisters, spend the majority of one summer bickering over these items, the older grandchildren, affectionately known as the Liars, realize steps must be taken to ensure that the family does not dissolve over money. How far are they willing to go though to save their family from demise?

The book has many flashbacks to the summer when these events happened, the summer Cady missed on the island due to the aftermath of that previous summer and then the following when she struggles to remember what actually happened the summer she and the rest of the Liars were 15. It's not really what you think this book might be. It starts out as a summer read about a wealthy family but becomes so much more as the suspense builds around Cady's recovered memories. Again, I really can't say much more because there is a major plot twist that I do not want to give away. 

I loved this book and I told my coworker if I was a teen librarian still, I would have definitely book talked this for summer reading visits. I could definitely picture myself on the island with the Liars and enjoying the summer traditions they loved. It's funny because I found myself getting angry with some of the characters and then the plot twist happened and everything made sense then. The author weaves a very suspenseful tale of family, money, prejudice and love. 

Run to the library and check this one out! It's a young adult book and a quick read, perfect for a day at the pool or the lake! They should make this one into a movie!

Happy Reading!

Summer Reading List

Of course this is my favorite blog post when I release my summer reading list! It's late this year because of my blog hiatus but hey, better late than never, which is why some of the books I've already read. This is what I plan to/planned to read this summer not counting my book club books.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Here's my blog post about this book.

1 Dead in the Attic by Chris Rose

Here's my blog post about this book.

Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The Vacationers by Emma Bloom

Here's my blog post about this book.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

I finished this one Memorial Day weekend but I didn't write a post about it. Of course I loved it!

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Here's my blog post about this book.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield

Unfortunately, I didn't write  a post for this one but would definitely recommend. I love all of her books as well.

I went to a great book sale this week, so I got new titles and I'm debating switch these ones out for some of my new ones:

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom

Summer of Firefly Memories by Joan Gable

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly Whittemore

Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

What's on your summer reading list? I can't wait to get started on some of my new book sale books! Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Wednesday Sisters

The Wednesday Sisters was another title I picked up at that recent book sale. I had never even heard of it before and really had no idea what to expect. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. It was wonderful and one that might be a keeper and one that I reread again another summer.

There were so many reasons why I loved this book. It was about a group of friends. It was about a group that talked about reading and later writing. It followed the space program and other big events in history. It wasn't the first book I read about the 1960s/1970s but the one thing I really didn't like was how women were treated as only a wife and mother. I knew this but for some reason this book was much more honest about it.

The Wednesday Sisters reminded me a lot of Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons. The book is about five women - Allie, Frankie, Linda, Kath and Brett - who meet at the playground while their children play the morning Robert F. Kennedy is shot and realize they have a common interest in literature and writing. Together, they embark on a writing journal. First, by writing together for an hour each Wednesday morning and then critiquing each others work during the week and bringing it back to discuss. The writing helps the women is more ways then they can imagine.

The book takes place over the course of five years. The women go from strangers in the park to best friends. Each woman has to overcome their own trials - infertility, breast cancer, infidelity and insecurity - but with the help of the Wednesday Sisters they each survive stronger. The friendship starts with a common interest in the Miss American Pageant but as the women age and realize what is going on in the world see the pageant for more than ball gowns and swimsuits, more than a beauty pageant. And they see themselves as more than wives and mothers.

It took everything I had to do anything but read this weekend. I definitely cheated on my to-do list yesterday, so that I could finish the book. I was a bit disappointed in the ending but other than that this was a great book. If you liked Angry Housewives, you'll love this one. Check it out!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Pawley's Island

First, I'm so proud of myself that I have wrote 200 blog posts since I first started this blog three or four years ago. Granted I know they aren't the best posts! This is my own private celebration since I have all of four readers! Ha ha! 200 is a milestone for my boring little blog but I intend to hopefully freshen things up better design wise and plan posts in advance in the future. Happy 200th Post!

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A few weeks ago, my coworker took me to the book sale at her husband's library. It was fabulous and probably one of the best book sales I have ever been to recently. There was an excellent selection of trade paperbacks for popular authors, which I find myself reading so much more in the summer. I bought a bag of trade paperbacks that I could't wait to delve into. My summer reading list has pretty much gone by the wayside. Anyways, I picked up two Dorothea Benton Frank books since I had enjoyed Hurricane Sisters so much. I finished Pawley's Island yesterday and am reading Folly's Beach currently.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Pawley's Island but it was wonderful. It was such a distraction this weekend though and I struggled to work on my to-do list because all I wanted to do was read. My reward was that every time I crossed something off my to-do list I could read a chapter. I finished the book in two days. At the end I was disappointed, again I felt like I had lost some old friends because I felt so close to Abigail, Huey and Rebecca. Frank's books make me want to travel to Charleston and the Lowcountry now.

In the book, Abigail Thurmond retreats to her family house on Pawley's Island after the untimely deaths of her husband and son and following her departure from a successful law career. The story begins approximately three years later. Abigail spends her time playing golf and tennis, dwelling on the past and accompanying her best friend, Huey to all of the social events in the area. This lifestyle continues until the day that Huey hires a young artist named Rebecca to frame at his gallery. Through the inquisitive nature of Huey's mother, Miss Olivia, it is discovered that Rebecca has some troubles of her own. Her husband has filed custody of their two children, kicked her out of the house and is awaiting divorce proceedings for no apparent reason other than he states she is unfit mother.

Huey, Abigail and Miss Olivia will stop at nothing to find justice for their new friend and her children. The soon-to-be ex-husband, Nat, is part-owner in his family's successful car business, so he has money to make sure that he gets his way and that his wife is out of his and his children's lives forever. What Nat doesn't know is that Abigail is a former divorce lawyer with a number of tricks up her sleeve. What Abigail doesn't know is that this trial is exactly what she needs to realize that she is loved. Her ideal lifestyle tucked away on Pawley's might not have been as ideal when she believes and that she is capable of overcoming the death of her family with the help of her close friends and boyfriend and finding happiness again.

This book is an excellent summer read but unlike some this book has a well-thought out  plot and likable characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the Hurricane Sisters. It's an older title, so I bet you could stop by your local library and pick it up today! 

Happy Reading!

My Favorite Books A-Z (Part 2)

And here my friends is the rest of my favorite books list! I warned you that there were multiples! Hope you found one to take on your next vacation or trip to the pool!

N

Nantucket Blue and Nantucket Red - Leila Howland (Teen, Beach Read)

Check out my blog posts about these titles here.

O

Orphan Train - Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction, Book Club)

Out of my Mind (Teen, Book Club)

P

The Pregnancy Project - Gaby Rodriguez (Teen, Memoir, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Other: Palisades Park - Alan Brennert (Historical Fiction); Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld (Fiction)

Q

I got nothing. Sorry.

R

Rules of the Road - Joan Bauer (Teen)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Other: Red Kayak (Teen, Book Club); Reflections: Life After the White House (Memoir); The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of An American Family (Memoir); Rose: The Life and Times of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (Biography)

S

The Starboard Sea - Amber Dermont (Fiction)
Check out my blog post here.

A Star for Mrs. Blake - April Smith (Historical Fiction, Book Club)
Check out my blog post here.

The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han (Teen, Beach Read)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: Same Sweet Girls (Fiction); Second Chance Summer (Teen, Beach Read); The Secret Hum of a Daisy (Tween); Secret Lives of the First Ladies: What Your Teachers Never Told You About the Women of the White House (History); The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Teen, Beach Read); Skipping Christmas (Fiction, Holiday); Spoken from the Heart (Memoir); Storm Runners (Tween); Summer at Tiffany (Memoir); Summer People (Fiction, Beach Read); Summer Sisters (Fiction, Beach Read); Sweet Caroline: Last Child of Camelot (Biography)

T

Three Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood - Jame Richards (Teen, Historical Fiction)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: To Kill A Mockingbird (Fiction, Classic); The Tragedy Paper (Teen); Tuesdays of Morrie (Memoir)

U

No favorites here either. Sorry!

V

I couldn't think of any that I have even read with a V title.

W

We Shook the Family Tree - Hildegarde Dolson (Memoir)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Wild - Cheryl Strayed (Memoir)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Wonder - R.J. Palacio (Tween, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: What Jackie Taught Us (Biography), What Would Jackie Do (Biography, Self-Help), Where'd You Go Bernadette (Fiction, Book Club)

X

Obviously I don't read enough of these odd letters...

Y

The Young Man and the Sea - Rodman Philbrick (Tween)

Z

It looks like I have some letters to make up for then!

That was some work to go through my book lists but hopefully you found something to read!

Happy Reading!

Rereading an Old Friend Again

Sometimes and especially in the summer after reading through so many new books, I love to come back to an old favorite. There are not many books that I can reread - I try but they aren't as fabulous the second time around. However, in some cases, they just get better and its like hanging out with your best friend. That's how I feel when I read Summer Sisters or Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons or The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.

Last week I finished The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood for the umpteenth time. I've lost track of how many times I've read it. I do still remember the first time. I found it at the Lakeside United Methodist Church Library in high school. I'm pretty sure I devoured it in one afternoon on the dock. I loved it so much! Then I quickly found the prequel, Little Altars Everywhere, at the Lakeside Women's Club Library. Although not as good, I loved every minute of it!

The Ya Yas are my favorite and I long for a similar group of friends. I suppose my summer sisters come closest but not even. Perhaps that's why I like it so much. Yes, there are dark parts of the story and some might say that it is more about a mother and daughter but I see it as a wonderful book of friendship. One in which friends become family and so much more. At the end of the book, I'm always sad that it's over because I hate saying goodbye to an old friend.

So, if you have not read The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood I highly recommend that you do. You will definitely not regret it! I'd let you borrow mine but I'm a little attached to it and would fear that I might not see it again. Head to the library or bookstore and pick up a copy! It's a perfect summer read and you might just find that you feel how I do while reading that  you just met new friends that by the end of the book will be your best friends.

Enjoy and Happy Reading!

My Favorite Books: A-Z (Part 1)

Vacation season is upon us, so have you picked out some books to read while you are traveling? Need some selections for book club? Why not try one of these? 

I'm always getting asked for book suggestions, so here are my favorite books from A-Z (Part 1). There is a good variety here and I tried to mark the genre of each book.

There are summary paragraphs and links to my reviews for some of them. Some were so much harder than I thought to pick just one, so there are more than one for most! And of course I'm probably forgetting some!

A

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery (Children's, Classic)

Anne of Green Gables is the classic story of a young orphan girl who is adopted by a brother and sister who never married on the beautiful island of Prince Edward Island. Anne has a wild imagination and is always creating tales and assigning clever names to the island’s landmarks. She becomes bosom buddies with Diana Berry. Her other classmate Gilbert teases her about her hair, which is as red as carrots. The delightful story chronicles Anne’s life on PEI and the adventures she and her friends embark on. The movies are also fabulous!

Astronaut Wives Club - Lily Koppel (Nonfiction, Book Club)

Check out my GoodReads review here. The TV show is great as well.

Others: Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons (Beach Read, Fiction, Book Club), Apollo 13 (Nonfiction), All the Summer Girls (Beach Read, Fiction)

B

Bloom:Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir - Kelle Hampton (Memoir, Book Club)

Check out my blog post about this title here.

Others: Burn for Burn (Beach Read, Teen), Bridget Jones' Diary (Fiction)

C

The Castaways - Elin Hildebrand (Beach Read, Fiction)
The Castaways starts with the death of Greg and Tess, a couple trying to recover from some marital problems. After leaving their twins with friends, the couple sets out on a sail for Martha's Vineyard, drowning on the trip. The rest of the book details the summer following their deaths and how the three other couples that Greg and Tess are friends with deal with the loss. The books is full of surprises that anything else written would give away the plot twists! This is an enjoyable beach read that reminds readers to treasure friendships and the time spent together because life is short. Fans of The Castaways should also read Summerland and Summer People by the same author.

Commencement - J. Courtney Sullivan (Fiction, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: Cheaper by the Dozen (Memoir)

D

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Rebecca Wells (Fiction, Book Club)

E

Engagements - J. Courtney Sullivan (Fiction, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

F

Forget-Me-Not Summer - Leila Howland (Middle Grade, Beach Read)
Check out my blog post here.

Others: First Lady from Plains (Biography), From Love Field: Our Final Hours with President John F. Kennedy (Memoir)

G

Girls from Ames - Jeffery Zaslow (Memoir, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads post here.

Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls (Memoir, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads post here.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer (Fiction, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads post here.

Others: Grayson (Memoir), Great Gatsby (Fiction, Classic, Book Club)

H

Hurricane Sisters - Dorothea Benton Frank (Fiction, Beach Reads, Book Club)
Maisy is the family matriarch in The Hurricane Sisters. The story begins with an hilarious scene where Maisy’s daughter, Liz and son-in-law, Clayton are bailing her out of jail for walking a llama down the street. Maisy is full of spunk and passionately in love with her chauffeur who is much younger and was hired by Liz and Clayton to drive her around. The story unfolds through the voices of each of the main characters but is the story of the women, the hurricane sisters, that shines through. Liz is struggling with the homosexuality of her grown son, the infidelity of her husband and the immaturity of her young daughter, Ashley. Ashley, an aspiring artist, and her roommate, Mary Beth, are living rent free in Clayton and Liz’s beach house trying to struggle with achieving their dreams or coming to terms with reality. The theme of domestic violence is woven through the story as Liz works for a domestic violence organization and Mary Beth is a survivor after witnessing her father abuse her mother growing up but when tragedy strikes within the family, they pull together and support each other with love and encouragement. The Hurricane Sisters is a beautiful story of family and the low country of South Carolina. In the end, no matter how crazy family is, the characters realize that they do need each other more than ever.

Others: An Hour Before Daylight (Memoir)

I

In Her Shoes - Jennifer Weiner (Fiction, Beach Read, Book Club)

Others: The Island (Fiction, Beach Read), I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan (Memoir), In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir (Memoir)

J

Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot - Randy Taraborelli (Biography)

Others: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life (Biography), Just Kids (Memoir, Book Club)

K

Kate: The Future Queen - Katie Nicholl (Biogaphy)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years (Biography), The Kennedy Women: The Saga of An American Family (Biography)

L

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead - Sheryl Sandberg (Memoir, Business)
Check out my blog post here.

Others: The Last Summer of You & Me (Fiction, Beach Reads), The Last Lecture (Memoir), Leeway Cottage (Fiction, Book Club), Letters from Skye (Fiction), Life as We Knew It (Teen, Book Club), Light Between Oceans (Fiction, Book Club), Little Earthquakes (Fiction), Love Lucy (Biography)

M

Maine - J. Courtney Sullivan (Fiction, Beach Reads, Book Club)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards (Fiction, Book Club)

Others: Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog (Memoir), Moon Shell Beach (Fiction, Beach Reads), Mrs. Kimble (Fiction), My Dear President: Letters Between Presidents and their Wives (History), My Father, My President: A Personal Account of George H. W. Bush (Biography)

Happy Reading!