Welcome to our weekly bookish place where we share our adventures in reading. Come along and join us as we explore other blogs and feel a community spirit.
Today I’m linking up at Monday Reading, hosted by Book Journey.
To check out my Sunday Updates/Mailbox Monday, click the link.
I hope those suffering from hot weather are managing to stay cool. I’m indoors, reading and watching movies; I’ve been drinking lots of iced tea.
Here’s what’s been happening on my blogs this week.
ON THE BLOGS:
Tuesday Sparks: Intros/Teasers – Island Girls
Summer Reading – Redux (Booking Through Thursday)
A Little Chocolate on a Friday
Friday Potpourri: Books, Books, and More Books
Sweet Saturday Sample: A Budding Romance (An Excerpt)
Saturday Snapshot: Berlin Artist
READING/REVIEWS (Click Titles for Reviews)
Sisterland, by Curtis Sittenfeld
Something About Sophie, by Mary Kay McComas
Always Watching (e-book), by Chevy Stevens
WHAT’S UP NEXT? (CLICK TITLES/COVERS FOR MORE INFO)
1. The Last Original Wife, by Dorothea Benton Frank
Experience the sultry Southern atmosphere of Atlanta and the magic of the Carolina Lowcountry in this funny and poignant tale of one audacious woman’s quest to find the love she deserves, from New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank.
Leslie Anne Greene Carter is The Last Original Wife among her husband Wesley’s wildly successful Atlanta social set. His cronies have all traded in the mothers of their children they promised to love and cherish—’til death did them part—for tanned and toned young Barbie brides.
If losing the social life and close friends she adored wasn’t painful enough, a series of setbacks shake Les’s world and push her to the edge. She’s had enough of playing the good wife to a husband who thinks he’s doing her a favor by keeping her around. She’s not going to waste another minute on people she doesn’t care to know. Now, she’s going to take some time for herself—in the familiar comforts and stunning beauty of Charleston, her beloved hometown. In her brother’s stately historic home, she’s going to reclaim the carefree girl who spent lazy summers sharing steamy kisses with her first love on Sullivans Island. Along Charleston’s live oak- and palmetto-lined cobblestone streets, under the Lowcountry’s dazzling blue sky, Les will indulge herself with icy cocktails, warm laughter, divine temptation and bittersweet memories. Daring to listen to her inner voice, she will realize what she wants . . . and find the life of which she’s always dreamed.
Told in the alternating voices of Les and Wes, The Last Original Wife is classic Dorothea Benton Frank: an intoxicating tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, and love, that is as salty as a Lowcountry breeze and as invigorating as a dip in Carolina waters on a sizzling summer day.
2. Island Girls, by Nancy Thayer (Amazon Vine Review)
New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer returns to her beloved Nantucket in a highly emotional, wholly entertaining tale of three sisters forced to confront the past over one event-filled summer on the island.
Charming ladies’ man Rory Randall dies with one last trick up his sleeve: His will includes a calculating clause mandating a summer-long reunion for his daughters, all from different marriages—that is, if they hope to inherit his posh Nantucket house. Relations among the three sisters are sour thanks to long-festering jealousies, resentments, and misunderstandings. Arden, a successful television host in Boston, hasn’t been back to the island since her teenage years, when accusations of serious misbehavior led to her banishment. College professor Meg hopes to use her summer to finish a literary biography and avoid an amorous colleague. And secretive Jenny, an IT specialist, faces troubling questions about her identity while longing for her sisters’ acceptance.
To their surprise, the three young women find their newfound sisterhood easier to trust than the men who show up to complicate their lives. And if that weren’t problematic enough, their mothers descend on the island. When yet another visitor drops by the house with shocking news, the past comes screaming back with a vengeance. Having all the women from his life under his seaside roof—and overseeing the subsequent drama of that perfect storm—Rory Randall might just be enjoying a hearty laugh from above.
Nancy Thayer’s novel insightfully illustrates how the push and pull of family altercations make us whole. It’s how the Randall sisters come to forgive, and learn to open their hearts to love.
3. Chocolate for Two, by Maria Murnane – (Amazon Vine Review)
Waverly Bryson’s life is officially perfect: She’s engaged to her gorgeous boyfriend, Jake; her Honey on Your Mind TV segment is more popular than ever; and Waverly’s Honey Shop is growing by leaps and bounds. What could possibly go wrong? For starters…everything.
This is Waverly, after all, and drama follows her wherever she goes. Why should her trip down the aisle be any different? Now, before she can marry the man of her dreams, she’ll have to go head-to-head with his high-society mother, whose vision for their wedding isn’t exactly meshing with Waverly’s. Adding to the chaos is the impending departure of Paige, Waverly’s very pregnant retail partner; the arrival of her suddenly secretive best friend, Andie; and the meddling of a new TV producer who’s promising to “shake things up.” Suddenly Waverly’s perfect life feels like it’s about to come crashing down…unless the irrepressible Miss Bryson can prove to the world—and to herself—that she really can have it all.
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Come on by and let’s chat about books!
Loving the covers of the titles that you have coming up this week. I have been in a light reading mood and these seem to fit it!! I’m off to check out some of your reviews! Have a great week!
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Me, too, Staci…I’m hoping for a pleasant week. Thanks for stopping by.
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Such great beach reads! I’ve heard good things about The Last Original Wife. Enjoy your reading week.
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So have I, Laura…I found my copy at the library. I’m enjoying it already. Thanks for visiting…and have a great week.
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I’m glad you enjoyed Always Watching so much Laurel. I hope you enjoy your beach reads this week!
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Thanks, Shelleyrae….maybe my enjoyment had to do with my lowered expectations….glad you could stop by.
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Looks like you have some lovely books waiting for you this week, they all look like lovely Summer books!
Have a good week & kind regards,
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I am enjoying them, Bettina…thanks for stopping by, and have a good week!
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We had about same opinion of Sisterland, and you gave a good review to Always Watching, which I still want to get my hands on because I enjoy Chevy Stevens. I see a beach read theme coming up this week 🙂 Sounds good–enjoy!
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Hope you enjoy Always Watching…I love the author’s work, too. Have a great week, Rita.
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You will like the Last Original Wife! Have a super week!
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Thanks, Sheila…I am enjoying it already. Glad you could stop by.
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The books you list all sound like good stories. Chocolate for Two is the one closest to the sort of books I read though. I’ll be eager to hear what you think about it. Come see what I did last week here. Happy reading this week!
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Thanks for stopping by, Kathy…I am eager to pick up this next Waverly Bryson book, and the title (Chocolate for Two) doesn’t hurt. Enjoy your week.
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I have read 2 out of your three…can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
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I hope to have a better week than last….my eye seems to be cooperating. Thanks for stopping by, Patty.
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Your reads this week have such attractive covers! I know, shouldn’t judge the book, but the cover does make the first impression.
I don’t like being inside in the summer so I’ve been suffering the heat to be outdoors and then running inside for a blast of a/c. I like to sit out on my deck and read… at least until the humidity gets to me.
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I do love deck sitting…I don’t have one now, but when I did, at my previous home, it was my favorite place. Thanks for stopping by, Leslie, and enjoy your week.
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You will LOVE The Last Original Wife.
Happy Reading. Hope your eye is better soon.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My It’s Monday, What Are You Reading
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I am loving it, Elizabeth…thanks for stopping by…and the eye seems to improve every day.
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I hope you enjoy The Last Original Wife- it is a fun read. I also want to read Island Girls-enjoy your reading!
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I am enjoying it, Kerri…thanks for stopping by; next up for me: Island Girls.
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The Last Original Wife is one I want to read and I want to try Nancy Thayer as well. However Wendy Wax novel beside me here on side bar is sitting on my Kindle first to be read!
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Oh, I love Wendy Wax, too; hope you’re enjoying it. Thanks for stopping by, Kathryn, and have a great week.
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I’ve been wanting to read the Frank and Thayer books. They look excellent. Have a great week.
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This is my first Frank book, but it won’t be my last. I’m really loving it. Thanks for visiting, Yvonne, and enjoy your week.
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Looks like some lovely summery reads for you next week. Enjoy!
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Yes, it definitely feels like summer around here…but the books take me to beaches, another kind of summer. Thanks for visiting, Diana…enjoy your week!
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Island Girls looks really nice! 🙂 I am currently on the island of Boracay and I’m sure it would be a god book to read here. 🙂 Have a great reading week ahead of you!
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Ooh, lucky you, Myra! Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy!
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Well I’m late getting here but your books sure look appealing 😉 Have a great week and happy reading!
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Welcome any time, Teddyree! lol
Thanks for stopping by…and I’m excited about the books, too. Have a great week!
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Always happy to visit your blog. I like your new blog button. I like all of your books. I love reading about Nantuckett. I suspect going there will never happen. I love Dorothea Benton Frank. My favorite one so far is Shem Creek. I liked Plantation too. Want to read Bull Island and the other ones. Didn’t know about this new one. Have a good week.
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Thanks, Hattie…and I suspect I’ll never get to Nantucket either! lol
The closest I came was many years ago when I visited Boston, and drove along Cape Cod.
Enjoy your week!
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