MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — MAY 21

Welcome to another Monday from the Interior, in which we share about the books we received in the mail (or bought), and talk about our bookish week, past and future.

For May, Mailbox Monday is hosted by Martha’s Bookshelf.

Sheila, at Book Journey, brings us What Are You Reading?

 

MAILBOX MONDAY

My mailbox held two books this week:  one review copy, and one purchase.

1.  Ocean Beach, by Wendy Wax (Publicist)

 

Wendy Wax, author of the “warm [and] wry” (St. Petersburg Times) Ten Beach Road, returns with a novel of three women in need of a second chance…or is it a third?

Unlikely friends Madeline, Avery and Nicole have hit some speed bumps in their lives, but when they arrive in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood, they are all hoping for a do-over. Literally. They’ve been hired to bring a once-grand historic house back to its former glory on a new television show called Do-Over. If they can just get this show off the ground, Nikki would get back on her feet financially, Avery could restart her ruined career, and Maddie would have a shot at keeping her family together.

At least, that’s the plan – until the women realize that having their work broadcast is one thing, having their personal lives play out on TV is another thing entirely. Soon they are struggling to hold themselves, and the project, together. With a decades-old mystery—and the hurricane season—looming, the women are forced to figure out just how they’ll weather life’s storms…

2.  Objects of My Affection, by Jill Smolinski

In the humorous, heartfelt new novel by the author of The Next Thing on My List, a personal organizer must somehow convince a reclusive artist to give up her hoarding ways and let go of the stuff she’s hung on to for decades.Lucy Bloom is broke, freshly dumped by her boyfriend, and forced to sell her house to send her nineteen-year-old son to drug rehab. Although she’s lost it all, she’s determined to start over. So when she’s offered a high-paying gig helping clear the clutter from the home of reclusive and eccentric painter Marva Meier Rios, Lucy grabs it. Armed with the organizing expertise she gained while writing her book, Things Are Not People, and fueled by a burning desire to get her life back on track, Lucy rolls up her sleeves to take on the mess that fills every room of Marva’s huge home. Lucy soon learns that the real challenge may be taking on Marva, who seems to love the objects in her home too much to let go of any of them.

While trying to stay on course toward a strict deadline—and with an ex-boyfriend back in the picture, a new romance on the scene, and her son’s rehab not going as planned—Lucy discovers that Marva isn’t just hoarding, she is also hiding a big secret. The two form an unlikely bond, as each learns from the other that there are those things in life we keep, those we need to let go—but it’s not always easy to know the difference.

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WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Welcome to another week of sharing about the books we’ve read, the ones we plan next, and the blogging/life adventures we’ve enjoyed.

I’m in pretty good spirits this week, with beautiful weather, etc.; however, I’ve got a swollen jaw from a toothache…spent some time in Urgent Care last night, and I hope to deal with the tooth tomorrow.  Meanwhile, I’m cranky! lol

But I’ve gotten some reading done…a pretty good distraction.

My Blogging/Reading Week:

In Tuesday Potpourri:  Early Morning Thoughts, I did a bit of rambling.  On Forest Journey, I shared an excerpt called Bridging the Gap, a mother-daughter meeting; and on Friday, I shared my Sweet Saturday Sample at Snow Chronicles (another excerpt); and finally, in my Weekend Potpourri, I chat about collecting vs. hoarding, and bookish delights.

Review:  The Good Father, by Diane Chamberlain –(Five stars!)

Review:  Heartbroken, by Lisa Unger (Four stars)

Review:  Reel Life, by Jackie Townsend (Three stars)

 

What’s Up Next? (Click Titles/Covers for More Info)

11/22/63, by Stephen King (still reading:  page 120)

 

The Witness, by Nora Roberts (can’t put this one down!)

 

Another Piece of My Heart (e-book), by Jane Green

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I hope to make more progress with the Stephen King book, as well as finish the other two…but we’ll see!

What are the rest of you doing this week?  Come on by and share….