Book lover, collector, and reviewer
This was a sweet love story, 50 years in the making. Every year for 49 years, Elizabeth Davenport has received a crocus (her favorite flower) and a written wish left on her doorstep by Tom Hale, the man she’s been in love with since she was 18, but couldn’t marry because of family pressure. This … Read More “Little Wishes by Michelle Adams” »
This was the second novel I’ve read by Barbara O’Neal, and while I liked When We Believed in Mermaids more, I still enjoyed this one. Set in a small village in Devon, England, four generations of women in one family — Lillian, Poppy, Zoe, and Isabel — try to heal from each other’s actions and … Read More “The Lost Girls of Devon by Barbara O’Neal” »
This was a sweet love story, split between 18-year-old Betty set in 1951 and 84-year-old Boop in modern time. Young Betty lives with her Jewish grandparents at their South Haven resort, where she dreams of being crowned a beauty queen, going to college in NY, and having a successful career as a fashion magazine editor. … Read More “The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan” »
I really enjoyed this mix of mystery, family drama, and love story with a bit of “magick” thrown in. The Moon Girls are taught from a young age that their singular goal in life is to have a daughter — specifically without a husband — and to raise her to follow in the Moon legacy … Read More “The Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara Davis” »
I really struggled with the characters and their decisions in this book, but I really enjoyed the story itself, along with the writing. Rachel has a whirlwind romance with Dhruv and after eloping, moves to Mumbai (from New York.) While there, she experiences culture shock to the extreme, and even more so when her mother-in-law … Read More “Mother Land by Leah Franqui” »
I hate to admit that this was the first novel I’ve read by Katherine Center, but it won’t be my last. Sam (short for Samantha) is the librarian at a private elementary school known for top teachers and a lot of heart. Unfortunately, the founder, principal, and essence of the school, Max, dies suddenly and … Read More “What You Wish For by Katherine Center” »
This was a really good book, but make sure you pack the tissues (and you’ll need them almost immediately.) Natalie Harper inherits her late mother’s failing bookshop and the care of her grandfather, suffering from dementia. With the bookshop (and her family home) falling down around them, will she be able to convince her grandfather … Read More “The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs” »
What a heartwarming, bittersweet book, based on the true story of the author’s family. In the first chapter of the book, we learn about two sisters, Fanny, 27, and Florence, 20, daughters of Joseph and Esther. Fanny is 7-months pregnant and on bedrest after an earlier stillbirth with her previous pregnancy. Florence is training to … Read More “Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland” »
Liza, Maggie, and Tricia are the Sweeney Sisters, very different adult sisters dealing with the unexpected death of their father, famous author William Sweeney. While dealing with the memorial and estate, they are shocked to discover they have a fourth sister, Serena, who lived next door while they were growing up and is now an … Read More “The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan” »
Emily is a young girl who is in a persistent vegetative state with seemingly no explanation as to why. Her mother, Rachel, has remained faithfully — obsessively — by her side ever since, while her father, James, seems to have moved on with his life. He’s even divorced Rachel and remarried Eva, a 36-year-old digital … Read More “A Hope for Emily by Kate Hewitt” »