Here we are on another Monday, reading to participate in Mailbox Monday, hosted by Bluestocking this month; and What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey.
MAILBOX MONDAY:
This week, I received no review books, but I did receive an e-book for my Kindle.
Heat Wave, by Nancy Thayer, is one I preordered awhile back.
Unerringly perceptive, superbly written, every page packed with the warmth and compassionate wisdom that have become Nancy Thayer’s trademark, Heat Wave tells the moving story of a woman who, after her seemingly perfect life unravels, must find the strength to live and love again.
Making the startling discovery that her family finances are in dire straits is only the latest shock endured by Carley Winsted after her husband’s sudden death from a heart attack. Resisting her in-laws’ well-meaning overtures to take in Carley and her two daughters, the young widow instead devises a plan to keep her family in their beloved home, a grand historic house on the island of Nantucket.
The solution is right at Carley’s front door: transforming her expensive, expansive house into a bed-and-breakfast. Not everyone, however, thinks this plan prudent or quite respectable—especially not Carley’s mother-in-law. Further complicating a myriad of challenges, a friend forces Carley to keep a secret that, if revealed, will undo families and friendships.
When her late husband’s former law partner keeps showing up at the most unexpected times, Carley must cope with an array of mixed feelings. And then, during a late-summer heat wave, the lives of Carley and her friends and family will be forever changed in entirely unexpected ways….
***
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
This past week was somewhat complicated by computer issues and my sudden impulse to merge a few more blogs. You can read about that on my Weekend Potpourri — The Vanishing Blogs post.
Then, my current writing challenge ended Round Two, so focusing on that kept me busy. On that same note, I did some excerpting over at Snow Chronicles.
Now for some book talk.
Books Read & Reviewed-Click Titles for Reviews:
1. Dismantled, by Jennifer McMahon
2. Daughters of the Revolution, by Carolyn Cooke
3. Maine, by J. Courtney Sullivan
Still Reading:
The Magnolia League, by Katie Crouch
What’s Up Next?
Besides reading this week, I’ll be going over the WIP (Interior Designs) that I got back from the Beta reader. That might take awhile.
Then I’ll be reading these books, hopefully.
1. Seducing the Demon, by Erica Jong (from my old TBRs)
In four discursive essays and an introduction, Jong (Fear of Flying; Any Woman’s Blues) ruminates on the elements of her writer’s life. Most notable is sexuality: pursuit of the muse has often meant pursuit of a demon lover, a man utterly wrong for her. She walks away from Ted Hughes in the 1970s, but not from many other wrong men. Jong has had four husbands, one child and 20 books in the past four decades. Now in her 60s, she’s well-read, well-traveled, therapized, happily married and sexually satisfied. Her memoir in vignettes asserts that without writing, Jong would go crazy, drink well beyond the excesses of her past and be miserable. Writing has propelled her forward into a fulfilled life….
2. Black Girl White Girl, by Joyce Carol Oates (Another one from the old TBRs)
In 1975, racial tension still runs high at Genna Meade’s mostly white Schuyler College in Pennsylvania. Her outcast black roommate, Minette Swift, is a D.C. preacher’s daughter; Genna is descended from the college’s founder. Minette misses home desperately; Genna, in contrast, avoids her “hippie” mother’s phone calls while yearning for a visit from her absentee father, activist lawyer Maximilian Meade. Despite their differences, the girls muster an effortful friendship, due to the near-fetishization of black culture that Genna’s parents have inculcated in her. When racist incidents begin to plague Minette, Genna tries to protect her, but Minette lapses into an antisocial, dangerous depression. Meanwhile, Genna has her own problems—she’s gradually piecing together clues to a mystery whose solution may lie far too close to home for comfort. Eventually, Minette’s downward spiral prompts a shocking epiphany for Genna that will alter the course of her family’s life. Oates bravely grapples with the fallout of the Civil Rights movement, the early ’70s backlash against Summer of Love optimism, and the well-intentioned but ultimately condescending antiracist piety of privileged white liberals, but this anecdotal novel feels slight compared to her best work….
3. Repairing Rainbows, by Linda Fishman (e-book)
At thirteen years old, Lynda’s life comes to a disastrous halt when her mother and two younger sisters are killed in a plane crash. Her father, overcome by despair, simply continues to exist, in a state devoid of hope. After burying a wife and two young children at the age of 44, the overwhelming responsibility of raising a daughter alone completely immobilizes him.
Teetering on that tender brink between childhood and adolescence, Lynda faces the responsibility of a father in a complete state of shock, a house to take care of and hundreds of decisions about how to proceed with their shattered lives.
In Repairing Rainbows she candidly describes the agonizing memories, deafening silence and endless hardships that are the fallout of incredible loss. As we follow her through marriage, motherhood and her own spiritual journey, Lynda reveals her complex feelings of hope, anger, pity and determination. Most importantly, she learns the crucial difference between “truly living” and the existence that is so often mistaken for being alive.
I hope that I manage all of these activities this week. What are the rest of you planning? I hope you’ll stop by and share….
Heat Wave… have seen this one on Shelf Awareness and it’s getting a lot of good attention.
PS Hope it’s a winner 🙂
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I’m a big fan of Nancy Thayer’s work, and this one sounds good to me. Thanks for stopping by, P. K.
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What do you think of The Magnolia League? I recently added that to my wishlist. Glad you stopped by today!
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Oh, I’m about a third of the way through. Pretty good so far, and smooth reading. Thanks for stopping by, Jenny Q.
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Interesting reads. Here’s my Monday morning Update.
Monday podcast
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Thanks for stopping by, Brooke…enjoy your week, and thanks for hosting us this month.
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A mixed mailbox which always makes for interesting reading! enjoy.
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Thanks for stopping by, Mystica…hope you enjoy your week, too.
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I adore Joyce Carol Oats’ books, I hope you do as well. Have a lovely week and enjoy your reading.
My Monday: http://www.rundpinne.com/2011/06/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-45.html
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Yes, I have loved many Oates books…this one sounds good to me. Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer.
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Hi- I see you have all new blog designs! Very nice.
I peeked at a couple of the reviews… sound like some deeper and depressing things.
From my reads this week I think To Be Sung Underwater would be a book you would like.
Hope you manage your goals this week and enjoy!
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Thanks for stopping by, Martha, and for noticing the design change. I do that a lot, I guess. To Be Sung Underwater is one I’ll check out. Thanks!
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Such a lovely week you’ve got lined up! I’m taking a road trip so I don’t anticipate getting a whole lot of reading done. My Monday post is here.
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Your road trip sounds like fun, Crystal. Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by.
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I love Nancy Thayer’s books. I have this one too and am looking forward to it. Enjoy!
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Oh, I’m a big fan of Thayer…had to preorder this one as soon as I heard about it. Thanks for stopping by, Kay.
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I just read a great review of Heat Wave. I hope you enjoy it just as much.
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Oh, I am glad to hear that, Laura. Thanks for stopping by.
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Until Sunday I had only finished four books, a fifth of what I was reading during spring semester. Then two things conspired to make me read more. Come see what happened.
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Isn’t it funny how that can happen? I, too, had a bit of a slump that picked up a little toward the end of the week. Thanks for stopping by, Sarah.
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I’m just always amazed at how many yummy books everyone is reading and I’ve heard of so little of them. Yet I have a stack a mile high at home…
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Isn’t that the best thing, though? Too many books, too little time is better than the opposite. Which is probably why I compulsively keep adding to my stacks! Thanks for stopping by, Book Belle.
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Thanks for stopping by my blog. Have fun reading this week. I’ve moved on since writing my Monday post) to a funny Icelandic book. Well, it’s in Dutch, as I don’t read Icelandic (but I do read Dutch!). Have a good week!
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I love Joyce Carol Oates, she is one of my favorite authors. I can only read so much of her at once, she is very intense. I haven’t read the book you listed yet, but it sounds interesting. Heat Wave does as well. I am reading The Magnolia League too!
http://quixoticmagpie.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-monday-what-are-you-reading_27.html
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Oh, I agree with you about JCO…and some of hers are more enjoyable than others. But I keep reading her. She’s such an excellent writer and I definitely feel things when I read her. I’m enjoying The Magnolia League. Hope you do, too, Cinnamon Owl. Thanks for stopping by.
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I’ve seen Daughters of the Rev. in a lot of blogs lately, I hope it’s good 🙂
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I did enjoy it…and it was a quick read. Thanks for stopping by, Samita.
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Glad to know you enjoyed Daughters of the Revolution!
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Thanks for stopping by, Nise…Yes, it was different than I expected, but an enjoyable read.
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I enjoy reading Nancy Thayer books, I will have to put this one on my TBR list for sure. Have a great reading week.
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Oh, so do I, Gigi Ann. She is one of my favorites…thanks for stopping by.
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Looks like a great summer read! Enjoy!
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Yes, it looks like I’ll be “visiting” Nantucket again! Thanks for stopping by, Anna.
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Looks like an excellent list – should make for a great week! Heat Wave looks really good. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it!
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Yes, I almost want to forget the books on my list this week and read Heat Wave…because it’s hot, and it’s set in a beach community….
Thanks for stopping by, Bonnie.
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Black Girl White Girl looks interesting! That’s one that I should look at! Have a good week!
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Thanks for stopping by, Aths. I like the way that one looks, too.
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Seducing The Demon looks very intriguing! You have such great read.
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I’ve had that one on my TBRs for awhile, so it’s about time! Thanks for stopping by, Novroz.
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Wow, would love to read Black Girl White Girl! Awesome choices this week!
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I think it sounds good, too, Lah. Thanks for stopping by!
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All great titles.
HAPPY READING!!!
Dollycas
http://dollycas.blogspot.com/
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Thanks for stopping by, Lori…enjoy your week!
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I enjoyed Heat Wave! There was one character who mad me very angry. I’ll have to watch for your review to see how you like it. Have a great reading week!
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I read your review, so I’ll be watching for my own reactions. I’ve been noticing lately that I often find at least one character in a book that I don’t like. Hmm, wonder what that’s about? LOL
Thanks for stopping by, Beth.
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Heat wave sounds like good book discussion material. Enjoy your picks this week and have fun reading!
Joy at Books and Life
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Yes, I think it will be, Joy. Thanks for stopping by.
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You always have such great books to read. Heat Wave sounds like something I’d like.
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Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne…Yes, I’m enjoying my books this week.
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I like the title of Magnolia League. Enjoy your week!
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Yes, that caught my eye right away, too. Thanks for stopping by, Jen.
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I read Summer House by Thayer a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. I’ll watch for your review of Heat Wave.
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I liked Summer House, too. In fact, I think I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by Thayer. Thanks for stopping by, Mary.
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Thanks for stopping by my blog. Repairing Rainbows caught my eye, it sounds like a highly emotional read. Have a great week and happy reading 🙂
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Thanks for visiting, Teddyree…I like the look of Repairing Rainbows too. Have a good week.
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