Sleeping With Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner

Author: Jenny Gardiner

Genre: Fiction

About: (From the book blurb): Not-so-happily married to Jack-once the man of her dreams but now a modern-day version of the bossy, dull Ward Cleaver of ’50s sitcom fame-Claire is at the end of her rope. Gone are the glorious days of flings in elevators and broom closets. Jack? All he needs is a cardigan and a billowing pipe to become the domineering father figure Claire never wanted. And looking at her body in the mirror, Claire would cast herself as Lumpy. They’d once had a world of color, of wanton frivolity. Now, life’s black and white: a sitcom in reruns. A not-very-funny sitcom. Cue an old boyfriend-the “one that got away”-throw in a predatory hottie who’s set her sights on our leading man, and watch Claire’s world spiral out of control.

Descriptive Words:  Funny, bawdy, honest, poignant.

Thoughts: For the most part it’s laugh out-loud-funny but I also had a lump in my throat during a lot of it. Jenny Gardiner’s novel cuts right to the core of a marriage that has lost its luster. The novel is written from the wife’s perspective. Claire is feeling unappreciated and the same could be said for her husband.   There’s a lot of truth about marriages “of a certain number of years” in Sleeping with Ward Cleaver.

Source: I bought it.

Why I Chose: A few bloggers I trust gave it good reviews.

Recommend?  This is a fast read that I recommend to fans of funny, honest, and entertaining novels about marriage. It’s one I’ll pass on to my sisters.

Rating: 4 /5 stars

Show Me 5 Saturday – Your Roots Are Showing by Elise Chidley

at Find Your Next Book Here

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1 Title:  Your Roots Are Showing by Elise Chidley

2 Words that describe the book:   Lizzie’s changes

3 Settings or characters:

*  Lizzie Buckley, in the throes of postpartum depression, has little interest in her husband or life in general.

*  Tessa, Lizzie’s best friend since they were small, is her biggest supporter.  She won’t let Lizzie fall any deeper into the abyss of depression.  She gets her started on the process of climbing out.  Everyone needs a friend like Tessa.

*  Roger, Lizzie’s father-in-law.  Always her fan, he truly hopes she and his son can make things work.  He’s a bit of a character but he seemed genuinely in Lizzie’s corner.  I thought he was the one person who gave her hope.

4 Things I liked/disliked about the book:

*  I loved Elise Chidley’s way of telling the story so that it was easy to sympathize with almost every character.

*  The humor was laugh-out-loud at times.  That said, this is not a fluff book.  It addresses serious issues faced by many women at one time or another.  It was an emotional read but not a depressing one.

*  I liked how Chidley showed Lizzie’s experience of starting to run, starting therapy, dealing with her food issues, etc.  I could imagine myself feeling the same way as Lizzie.

*  I didn’t like that Lizzie and James seemed to give up too easily from the start (that’s not a spoiler).  I guess their feelings were so hurt they just turned inward.  Maybe that’s not so unusual.

5 Stars or less for the rating:   4.5/5 stars.  I recommend it.

Back of the book: Lizzie Buckley is having doubts about her picture-perfect world.  She does love her country estate, precocious three-year-old twins, and handsome husband, James.  But nobody warned her about postpartum depression and the toll it would take on her marriage.  Or how she’d fantasize about chucking it all for a box of chocolates and an uninterrupted bath.

Lizzie vents these frustrations in an e-mail and her life is shattered: James gets the message by mistake.  Lizzie soon finds herself uprooting her children to start over in a ramshackle garden cottage.  Now facing life – and the twins – alone, Lizzie struggles to reinvent herself and forget about her soon-to-be ex.  But when thoughts of James still haunt her, she begins to wonder if the best part of marriage starts after the fairy tale ends…

Show Me 5 Saturday – Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle

at Find Your Next Book Here

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1 Title:  Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle

2 Words that describe the book:  Family reunion

3 Settings or characters:

*  Mira Zielinski – wife of Max and mother of Katya, Ivan, and Irina.

*  Katya – the totally together, on top of everything wife, mother, daughter, sister.  She’s about ready to crack.

*  Irina – the youngest child of Mira and Max who arrives home with two big surprises

4 Things I liked/disliked about the book:

*  I liked how real Kristina Riggle’s characters are -the Zielinski siblings especially.

*  I enjoyed how while reading it I felt like I was watching a movie.  The descriptions and dialogue were great.  I really liked the anniversary party scene.

*  Each chapter is about or from a different character’s perspective.  The details revealed about the characters filled in a lot.

*  I liked how the title worked into the plot at what seemed like the right time.

5 Stars or less for the rating:  4/5

Back of the book:  For Mirabelle Zielinski’s children, happiness always seems to be just out of reach.  Her polished oldest daughter, Katya, clings to a stale marriage with a workaholic husband and three spoiled children.  Her son, Ivan, so creative, is a down-in-the-dumps songwriter with the worst taste in women.  And the “baby”, impulsive Irina, who lives life on a whim, is now reluctantly pregnant and hitched to a man who is twice her age.  On the weekend of their parents’ anniversary party, lies will be revealed, hearts will be broken . . . but love will also be found.  And the biggest shock may come from Mirabelle herself, because she has a secret that will change everything.

Show Me 5 Saturday: Italian For Beginners by Kristin Harmel

A meme  by That’s A Novel Idea

Mr. Linky at Find Your Next Book Here

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1 Title:  Italian For Beginners by Kristin Harmel

2 Words that describe the book:  Italian Holiday

3 Settings or characters:

*  Rome – Kristin Harmel described the sights of Rome so well that I felt like I was there.  Cat’s friend Marco takes her on a memorable tour that was very romantic.  *sigh*

*  Karina – is the waitress who rents a room to Cat when she finds herself without a place to stay after her first day in Rome.  Karina pulls no punches with anyone and doesn’t expect anything less in return.  She’s about Cat’s age and is a single mother of a six year old son.  She was my favorite character!

*  Cat Connelly – has always put the needs of her sister and father above her own.  She’s ready for a little ‘me time’ and heads to Rome for a month after a co-worker gives her the push she needs.  I understood Cat and really pulled for her throughout the novel.

4 Things I liked/disliked about the book:

* I liked Kristin Harmel’s writing.  I’ll be looking for her backlist books.

* I really enjoyed the main characters – flaws and all.

* I loved my visit to Rome via a novel.  I liked that the author tells how the book came about and what she added from her own experiences.  There are a few recipes at the end too.   Now I want to watch Roman Holiday and pretend I’m Audrey.

* I was satisfied with the ending.  It had me smiling – and I love when that happens.

5 Stars or less for the rating: 4/5 stars

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Back of the book: Cat Connelly plays it safe.  She’s an accountant with no debt who lives near her family in Manhattan.  She’s also thirty-four, unmarried, and with nothing promising on her romantic horizon.  After a humiliating incident at her sister’s wedding, she throws caution to the wind and flies off to Rome to find Francesco, the man she’d fallen in love with thirteen years earlier on a trip to Italy.   When Francesco turns out to be a dud, Cat is adrift on the streets of Rome, no safety net in sight.  With the help of an eccentric waitress with a spare apartment to rent, the handsome restaurateur who calls her Princess Ann, and the family secrets only Rome can unlock for her, Cat discovers that happiness can be found on the back of a speeding Vespa. . . but only if you’re willing to take a few risks.

Where The River Runs by Patti Callahan Henry

Back of the book:  Meridy Dresden was once a free-spirited, fun-loving girl. All that changed when the boy she loved was killed in a tragic fire. Since then, she alone has carried the burden of a terrible secret. Years later, married to a wonderful man and mother of a teenage son, she is shocked to learn that a childhood friend is being blamed for that long-ago fire. Fearful but determined, Meridy returns to the South Carolina Lowcountry and summons the courage to make a decision that may destroy her well-ordered life, her family’s reputation, her contented marriage, and everything she’s worked so hard to protect… including her heart.

* * * * * * *

I was pulled into Patti Callahan Henry’s touching novel from the first page.  Meridy Dresden has reached a point in her life where she is known among her husband’s friends as “perfect Meridy” – the perfect wife, mother, friend.  The problem is she feels like a fraud.  Ever since the tragic night where life changed forever she has tried to be good.  Her husband knows nothing about her life before they met; her son is grown and ready to leave for college; and her best friend was just divorced by Meridy’s husband’s boss.  Things are happening that are out of her control.

Meridy goes home to South Carolina to write a curriculum of the Gullah culture for her local school.  Repressed memories return that force her to face the past. With the help of Tulu, her family’s former housekeeper, she learns how to come to grips with what happened twenty-five years earlier – the night of the tragic fire.  Tulu teaches her the meaning of Gullah proverbs which leads to finding the truth in her past and helps her to understand what is important going forward.

I really liked this novel.  It was easy for me to relate to Meridy in a few ways.  I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the lessons learned. Where The River Runs is the second book I’ve read by Patti Callahan Henry and I look forward to reading more.

Show Me 5 Saturday – Shut Up And Kiss Me by Christie Craig

at That’s A Novel Idea

1 Book title: Shut Up and Kiss Me by Christie Craig

2 Words that describe the book: Romance/Suspense

3 Settings or characters:

*  Shala Winters, hired to make Precious, TX (pop. 893)  a tourist destination

*  Sky Gomez, police chief of Precious, needs to find out who’s trying to kill Shala Winters

*  Jose Darkwater, foster brother to Sky.  He left Precious years ago for NYC .  When he returns to see his injured father nothing goes right

4 Things I liked/disliked about the book:

* I liked the quirky minor characters

* I enjoyed  Christie Craig’s humor, had me laughing out loud a lot.

* I think Jose needs his own book, it would be hilarious (if this book is any indication)

* I liked the small-town aspect – where everyone knows everyone.  That usually makes things interesting.

5 Stars or less: 4/5


Back of the book:

Photojournalist Shala Winters already had her hands full bringing tourism to this backward, podunk town, but her job just got tougher.  Pictures can say a thousand words, and one of Shala’s is screaming bloody murder.  Now she has to entrust a macho, infuriating lawman with her life – but she’ll never trust him with her heart.

Trusted or not, Sky Gomez isn’t about to let a killer get his hands on Shala’s Nikon – or any of her more comely assets, for that matter.  Her mouth might move faster than a Piney Woods roadrunner, but all he can think about is how good it must taste…and how she’ll never escape true love.

Show Me 5 Saturday -Roses by Leila Meacham

a meme by That’s A Novel Idea

1. Book title: Roses by Leila Meacham

2. Words that describe the book: multigenerational saga

3. Settings or characters:

* Howbutker, TX founded by the Toliver, Warwick, and duMont families.

* Mary Toliver, heir to the cotton plantation

* Percy Warwick, heir to his father’s lumber company

4. Things I liked/disliked about the book:

* I liked the cinematic feel to the writing. It was like watching a movie from the 1930s or ’40s – I love that era of sweeping epics.

* I think the author did a great job of making her characters come off the page. Appearances, emotions, actions were quite vivid.

* I thought it became a bit overly dramatic a few times – maybe that’s why it reminded me of a movie.

* I loved that it took me away – this would be a good vacation read.

5. Stars or less: 4/5

Goodreads synopsis (not my review):

Spanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town’s founding families. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick should have married but unwisely did not, and now must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies of their choice and the loss of what might have been–not just for themselves but for their children, and children’s children. With expert, unabashed, big-canvas storytelling, Roses covers a hundred years, three generations of Texans and the explosive combination of passion for work and longing for love.

Show Me 5 Saturday – Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery

a meme by That’s A Novel Idea

1. Book title: Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery

2. Words that describe the book: Contemporary romance

3. Settings or characters:

* Charity Jones, a city planner hired to bring businesses to Fool’s Gold, CA that will bring mostly male employees to this town of mostly women (huh?)

* Josh Golden, a retired world champion bicyclist who grew up in Fool’s Gold. He is haunted by the tragic crash that resulted in the death of a friend.

* Fool’s Gold is a small lakeside resort town in California wine country.

4. Things I liked/disliked about the book:

* I liked the setting. The small town was quaint yet modern.

* I liked the characters, flaws and all.

* There’s a bit of a mystery worked into the plot. It seemed weak and I thought it could have been left out of the book.

* I like that Chasing Perfect is the start of a new Susan Mallery series.

5. Stars or less: 4/5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Welcome to Fool’s Gold, California, a charming community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There’s lots to do and plenty of people to meet, especially women. Because there’s just one tiny problem in Fool’s Gold: the men don’t seem to stick around. Maybe it’s the lure of big-city life, or maybe it’s plain old bad luck, but regardless of the reason, the problem has to be fixed, fast. And Charity Jones may just be the city planner to do it.

Charity’s nomadic childhood has left her itching to settle down, and she immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer – everything, that is, except cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she’s not about to take a chance on another bad boy, even if everyone else thinks he’s perfect just the way he is. But maybe that’s just what he needs – someone who knows the value of his flaws. Someone who knows that he’s just chasing perfect.

Show Me 5 Saturday – The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

a meme by That’s A Novel Idea

now at Find Your Next Book Here

1. Book title: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

2. Words that describe the book: Historical fiction

3. Settings or characters:

* Tall Oaks plantation owned by Captain James Pyke

* Lavinia McCarten, orphaned on the voyage from Ireland to America and taken home with the Captain to live at Tall Oaks.

* Belle Pyke, daughter of Captain Pyke who lives in the kitchen house because her mother was black. Lavinia lives with Belle.

4. Things I liked/disliked about the book:

* I liked that the story was told from the perspectives of Lavinia and Belle.

* I thought the story was completely enthralling

* I thought the book wrapped up a bit too quickly

* I’d love to read a sequel (which is a sign of a good story)

5. Stars or less: 4/5 stars

From the back of the book:

Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.

Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction, Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.

(giveaway win from Passages to the Past)

Marriage and Other Acts of Charity by Kate Braestrup

I listened to the audiobook read by the author. Kate Braestrup’s gentle, reassuring voice tells the story of her first marriage and what happened after.

Near the end of the book Braestrup repeats something her father once told her:

If an experience is good, it’s good. If an experience is bad, it’ll make a terrific story.

That’s what this memoir is. We hear the good but also the bad and how Braestrup came through the experiences. She is now a chaplain for the Maine Warden Service where she is called upon to help people at the time of injury or death of a loved one, a job she’s well-suited for since she was on the receiving end when her first husband, a Maine state trooper, was killed in a car crash while on duty.

I appreciated Braestrup’s discussions of caritas and where God is when tragedy strikes. A lot to think about, a lot to strive for. This would be a wonderful selection for a book club.

Audiobook was a giveaway win from all about {n}

Show Me 5 Saturday – Kill Me Twice by Roxanne St. Claire

a meme by That’s A Novel Idea

now hosted by Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here

1. Book title:

Kill Me Twice by Roxanne St. Claire

2. Words that describe the book:

Romantic Suspense

3. Settings or characters:

* Miami

* Jasmine Adams – identical twin sister of the missing news anchor Jessica Adams

* Alex Romero – Member of elite security company called The Bullet Catchers, hired to protect Jessica Adams

4. Things I liked/disliked about the book:

* I liked the mystery/suspense

* I liked the main characters but wished there was a little more back story on each. Maybe that is revealed in the books that follow this first in the series.

* I liked the pace and the action. It was a fast read.

* I liked that I didn’t know the outcome (even though I thought I did!)

5. Stars or less: 3.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

WATCH YOUR BACK

Alex Romero is the hottest “Bullet Catcher” in the business. Tall, dark, and deadly if necessary, this high-priced bodyguard’s got the muscle and the moves — especially when it comes to the ladies. Alex can keep his beautiful clients out of danger, but sometimes they can’t keep their hands off of him. Now Alex has one last chance to prove he belongs among the elite force known as The Bullet Catchers, but his assignment is stacked…against him.

WATCH YOUR HEART

Private investigator Jasmine Adams is fiercely independent and fearless under pressure — she doesn’t need some hunk-for-hire’s help to catch the creep stalking her twin sister. But when Jazz uncovers bigger forces targeting her sister for death, she’s glad to have Alex’s brain and brawn handy. From the steamy streets of Miami to the sultry beaches of Key West, Alex and Jazz try to fight temptation as they race to keep a madman from fulfilling his promise to kill not just once, but twice. And some temptations are too powerful to resist….

Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas

My review: Patricia Anne (Pepper) Malone arrives in Bailee, Texas after getting the boot from the Chicago newspaper where she’d been a reporter. She doesn’t have much money and is glad to stay at her great-aunt Wilma’s place while Wilma is at the local nursing home recovering from surgery. Pepper is still recovering from the Chicago incident that got her fired and needs to find a job. She’ll stick around until she has enough money to find a new job in a new city.

Mike McCulloch runs the local newspaper and just happens to need a reporter. He also needs to find out who is trying to harm him and the newspaper. There have been mild threats but they quickly escalate to menacing and violent. So there’s a mystery to solve.

Pepper and Mike, along with several enjoyable secondary characters, make Rewriting Monday a delightful and light mystery/romance. Jodi Thomas’s story made me smile and laugh through most of the book. I really liked her writing style. The banter between Mike and Pepper was great.

I think Rewriting Monday would be a great beach read and I know it’s a great middle-of-a-snowstorm read.

Personal copy

Show Me 5 Saturday – Can’t Stand The Heat by Louisa Edwards

a meme by That’s A Novel Idea

now hosted by Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here

1. Book title:

Can’t Stand The Heat by Louisa Edwards

2. Words that describe the book:

Contemporary; Romance

3. Settings or characters:

Miranda Wake – a food critic known for her ‘take no prisoners’ reviews

Adam Temple – talented chef and owner of a new restaurant

Market (Adam’s restaurant)

4. Things I liked/disliked about the book:

I liked the descriptions of the restaurant kitchen. Louisa Edwards’ detailed narrative makes me think she has worked in a restaurant.

I liked all of the supporting characters

I liked Adam – a good character

I couldn’t warm up to Miranda – she was annoying most of the time

5. Stars or less: 3.5 – 4 stars

Goodreads: For sharp-tongued food critic Miranda Wake, the chance to spend a month in Adam Temple’s kitchen to write an exposé is a journalistic dream come true. Surely Miranda can find a way to cut the hotshot chef down to size once she learns what really goes on at his trendy Manhattan restaurant. But she never expected Adam to find out her most embarrassing secret: she has no idea how to cook.

Adam’s not about to have his reputation burned by a critic who doesn’t even know the difference between poaching and paring. He’ll just have to give the tempting redhead a few private lessons of his own—teaching her what it means to cook with passion…

Show Me 5 Saturday – Marked By Passion by Kate Perry

a meme by That’s A Novel Idea

now hosted by Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here

1. Book title: Marked By Passion by Kate Perry

2. Words that describe the book: Paranormal Romance

3. Settings or characters: The Pour House (bar where Gabrielle works); Gabe’s “hovel”; San Francisco area

4. Things I liked/disliked about the book: I liked the paranormal powers of the characters; I liked the customerss who frequent The Pour House; I liked Gabrielle’s main romantic interest – but I’m not sure I would have trusted him; I wish it hadn’t wrapped up as quickly as it did (seemed too tidy).

5. Stars or less: 3.5 stars – This is the first book in The Guardians of Destiny series. I received a review copy of the second book, Chosen By Desire, from the publisher several months ago and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I think the second book was a bit stronger than the first but I enjoyed Marked By Passion and now look forward to the third book, Tempted By Fate (due out this year).

Goodreads:

Gabrielle Sansouci Chin is turned for a loop when she receives the ancient scroll that she was marked to protect. Her possession only means one thing…her father is dead.

Gabe has no idea how she is going to balance her new responsibilities as a Guardian being a painter by day and a bartender by night. Having just been contracted for her new “Enter the Light” series, Gabe tries to handle it all.

But it seems like her luck has run dry when she’s ill trained to take her proper place as guardian, having a dry spell at painting, and for some reason can’t help but fall for Rhys Llewellyn, the sexy Brit who offers his help in more ways than one.

Personal purchase

Show Me 5 Saturday – A Matter Of Class by Mary Balogh

a meme by That’s A Novel Idea

now hosted by Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here

1. Book title: A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh

2. Words that describe the book: Historical Romance

3. Settings or characters: England, Oakridge Park, The Mason house on Portman Square

4. Things I liked/disliked about the book: I liked it all: the clever story, the witty dialogue, the setting, the characters.

5. Stars or less: 5 stars – A nice escape from this never-ending winter. It’s the first Mary Balogh novel that I’ve read. If you’re a fan, please tell me which book I should read next!

Giveaway win from Borders

Goodreads synopsis:

Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined, and, by all accounts, a gentleman. However, he is not a gentleman by title, a factor that pains him and his father within the Regency society that upholds station over all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by a scandal, one that has left her brandished as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.

Though Reginald Mason, Senior, wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not wish to marry her, preferring instead to live the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Reginald Senior serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents, and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.

So begins an intoxicating tale rife with dark secrets, deception, and the trials of love—a story in which very little is as it seems.

Time Of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch

Jillian Westfield has been living a perfect life – at least according to the magazine articles that have been advising her. She has put so much pressure on herself to be the ideal wife and mother that she breaks under the stress of it all. In a kind of freaky accident-by-massage she finds herself living seven years earlier. Her same life, seven years earlier. The do-over of all do-overs! She’s back living with her boyfriend Jackson and on the fast track at work. She’s reliving familiar situations and sees how she could have reacted differently the first time. The question is: Should she do things differently? If she does, it could change her life, that of her husband (not Jack, by the way), her daughter, friends and relatives.

Jillian needs to come to terms with a few things from her past. In doing so, will she make decisions that could change her future? Or, will she take what she discovers and return to her real life?

I enjoyed how things played out in this entertaining book. There’s a lot of truth in it. Allison Winn Scotch’s novel is charming and fresh. I found myself cheering Jillian on as she figured things out. Time Of My Life would be a great book club selection.

Show Me 5 Saturday – East Hope

Pick a book you’ve read or reviewed during the current week. Each Saturday post the answers to the numbered questions found below. The number indicates the number of answers to provide.

Since That’s A Novel Idea blog (originator of this meme) seems to be on vacation, you can find links to more Show Me Five reviews at Find Your Next Book Here.

* * * * * * *

1 Book you read and/or reviewed this week:

East Hope by Katharine Davis

2 Words that describe the book:

Contemporary Fiction

3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:

Pennsylvania; Chevy Chase, Maryland; East Hope, Maine

4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:

Liked the author’s spare writing;

Liked the Maine setting;

Wished some characters had more depth;

Liked it enough that I wish for a sequel.

5 Stars or less for your rating:

3.5 stars This is a book I’ll hang on to and read again down the road.

Memories of her life floated back – that comfortable existence, a time of ease when her life had been so calm, so worry-free, like a story that read, “Once upon a time there lived a woman whose life was quite perfect.” (p.268, East Hope)

(synopsis)

Several months after her husband’s sudden death, and troubled by one night’s indiscretion, Caroline Waverly seeks refuge in the house she’s inherited in East Hope, Maine. There she finds the courage to face the consequences of her choices—her precarious finances, her alienated college-age son, and the man she left behind.

Will Harmon also puts his old life behind him, arriving in East Hope to run the local used bookshop. As he questions his desires and struggles with his failing marriage, Will yearns for the wisdom to do what is right.

Then Caroline walks into Will’s bookstore, and they establish a tentative friendship—with the promise of something more. As they seek to rescue what is most important in their lives, they cling to a distant hope—for understanding, for family, and for love.

Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson

Goodreads synopsis

As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother, the powerful head of a Broadway theater company, has no time for her. She does have one friend-a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael-but only she can see him.

Years later, Jane is in her thirties and just as alone as ever. Then she meets Michael again-as handsome, smart and perfect as she remembers him to be. But not even Michael knows the reason they’ve really been reunited.

SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY’S is a love story with an irresistible twist, a novel about the child inside all of us-and the boundary-crossing power of love.

* * * * * * *

My thoughts: It’s an interesting premise that left me wishing for a little more and a lot less: a little more character depth and story and a lot less over-the-top characters (Jane’s mother and boyfriend). I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t grab me.

2010 Reading From My Shelves Project

I know, I know. I said you should stop me if I try to sign up for any more challenges. But this one is really the point of no more challenges – I’m reading my own books! This will be a great way to keep track of the books as they leave my shelves because I’ll give most of them away.

I’m joining Diane’s challenge at Bibliophile By The Sea. Here are the specifics:

• grab the button
• decide how many books you want to read from your shelves (minimum of 20 – no maximum)
• find a new home for the books once you read them
• post the titles and the authors of books you’ve read and passed on
• project runs from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010
• crossover challenge books are allowed

I’ll keep track of my books here:

1. Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson (donated: Library used book sale)

2. East Hope by Katharine Davis (donated: Library used book sale)

3. Angel’s Peak by Robyn Carr (donated: Library used book sale)

4. Time Of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch (gave to my sis)

5. A Matter Of Class by Mary Balogh (donated:  Library used book sale)

6. Marked By Passion by Kate Perry (gave to a friend)

7. Can’t Stand The Heat by Louisa Edwards (gave to a friend)

8. Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas (gave to a friend)

9. Kill Me Twice by Roxanne St. Claire (gave to a friend)

10. Marriage and Other Acts of Charity by Kate Braestrup (gave to a friend)

11. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (gave to a friend)

12. Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery (gave to a friend)

13. Girl In Translation by Jean Kwok (blog giveaway)

14. Roses by Leila Meacham (donated: library used book sale)
15. For The Love Of Pete by Julia Harper (donated: library used book sale)
16. Hannah’s List by Debbie Macomber (blog giveaway)
17. First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh (donated: library sale)
18. Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley (gave to a friend)
19. Where The River Runs by Patti Callahan Henry (gave to a friend)
20. Italian For Beginners by Kristin Harmel (gave to a friend)

21. Real Life and Liars by Kristina Riggle (gave to a friend)

22. Your Roots Are Showing by Elise Chidley (gave to a friend)

23. Sleeping With Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner (gave to a friend)

24. The Wife’s Tale by Lori Lansens (gave to a friend)