(62)I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

It is that time of year!  Time for the mother-daughter writing duo of Lisa Scottoline and her daughter, Francesca Serritella, to release their new collection of essays.     They take turns with their stories, one essay is Lisa's and the next will be Francesca's.   In this year's offering, they cover topics like the election, dating, livestock, and more.

The humor is sometimes subtle and sometimes laugh-out-loud:

"You haven't lived until you've duct-taped a diaper on a dog."  

I found myself laughing out loud.  The visual that sentence created was so entertaining.   Lisa also talks about her somewhat solitary life as an author, her animals, her discovery of Netflix, and more.   Francesca talks about her fondness for Gilbert and Sullivan, bikini shopping, shopping under the influence, and more.  


As someone who has been reading Lisa Scottoline's mysteries and thrillers for years it is nice to see this "human" side of her.  The self-deprecating humor is appreciated, especially from a master like her.  Her insights a fun and humorous and always spot-on.  Since I follow her on social media I was aware when she threw out the first pitch at the Phillies game, but I really enjoyed hearing more about that night in the book.    It doesn't matter which generation you belong to, you will find something to relate to in the book

Bottom line - I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool is another collection of entertaining essays from the fantastic mother-daughter duo. Now I have to wait a whole year for their next collection, I guess I will soothe myself with a mystery or legal thriller while I wait.

Details: 

• I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella
• Lisa on Facebook -- Francesca on Facebook
• Pages: 336
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication Date: 7/11/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(61)Final Girls by Riley Sager

It has been ten years since the night that Quinn Carpenter survived the massacre at Pine Cottage and became a "Final Girl." The press dubbed her a "Final Girl", along with Lisa, who survived a sorority house massacre and Sam, who survived a massacre at a motel.   It has been hard to move on, especially since the details of that night have escaped her memory,  but Quinn is a survivor.  She lives with her boyfriend in an NYC apartment that she bought with survivor money, she runs a successful food blog, and is doing well.  Until the day that her friend and savior, Coop, calls to tell her that Lisa has committed suicide.   Coop was the officer on duty that night she ran out of the woods covered in the blood of her friends.  It has been Coop to be by her side as she reintegrated into the world and tried to move past the events of that night.  It is Coop who makes her feel safe.   It is Coop who cautions her when Samantha Boyd, another Final Girl, shows up on Quinn's doorstep.  Quinn is hesitant to welcome her, but she is really the only person who can even understand a fraction of what she has been through.  When it is determined that Lisa was murdered Quinn's world quickly starts to spin out of control.  Will she be able to finally recover the memories of that night?  Or will someone do everything in their power to keep Quinn from remembering?

HOLY COW!  Final Girls is by far the best thriller that I have read this year.  There was more than one night that I had to close the book rather than read it alone in my dark bedroom.  It truly terrified me.   Quinn is the kind of character that appears to be strong but is really just a hot mess.  She is addicted to Xanax, has a horrible relationship with her mom, and keeps secrets from her boyfriend.  And all of that is before Sam Boyd even shows up.  The book has an "80's horror flick - where are they now?" vibe - but that is not a bad thing.  It is very fast paced - but not so fast that you can't keep up. And the author knows how to build the story so that you just cannot stop reading.   You are hanging on to every word because you, like the media in the book, are morbidly fascinated by the Final Girls.  It all builds to an explosive conclusion that will leave you absolutely shellshocked.  I had NO IDEA how this book was going to turn out, but wowzers did it have a great conclusion. --CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom line - While Final Girls doesn't really get explicit with the gore, the graphic nature of the plot cannot be denied.  These characters survived bloody massacres.  Get past that though and you have a well written, incredibly intense thriller about a survivor just trying to live her life.   You will not be disappointed with this one if you are looking to scare yourself and get your heart rate up.

Details:

• Final Girls by Riley Sager
• On Facebook
• Pages: 352
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 7/11/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(60)Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Jules Abbott is stunned when she receives news that her sister drowned in the local river, known as the Drowning Pool.  Jules and her sister, Nel, haven't been close since they were teenagers, but she doesn't believe that her sister would ever commit suicide.  In fact, she was writing a book about the women who have lost their lives to the Drowning Pool over the years, and the number is high for their little English community.  Lena, Nel's teenage daughter, believes that it was suicide, but she is still raw from her best friend dying in the Drowning Pool just days ago.  Jules doesn't know what to think, but for such a small little town, there are a lot of secrets.  The lead detective has a family history with the Drowning Pool and a connection to the Abbott family that is also a secret.  His new partner has her own secrets.  There is also a grieving mother who is determined to get to the truth no matter the cost.  But the question remains, did Nel Abbott throw herself off of the cliff into the water, or did somebody throw her to her death?


Beckford is a little English village with a lot of sorrowful history and a lot of secrets.  A lot of secrets and a lot of characters to keep up with.  Each character that is introduced has secrets and history and could be behind the deaths at the Drowning Pool.  I couldn't believe that this little community had so much going on.  As an audiobook listener, it was a lot to keep up with.  Each character had a different narrator so that helped.  Jules was a character that I could relate to more than any of the other characters.  She was always in her sister's shadow and had a trauma in her childhood that made her seem more real.  Lena was a bit of a brat, but given what she had been through, I can't blame her. Other characters that got a lot of time in the book was Louise, the mother of Lena's friend.   In the end, she and Jules realized that all they had was each other.  I was not all that surprised by the big reveal in the final pages.  I had not figured it out - but I was not that surprised. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom line - Into the Water is this summer's most buzzed about books.  I thought it was just - okay.  There was so much for the reader to keep track of that it was hard to really focus on the mystery.  It is definitely worthy of a read, but just be prepared to take notes to keep it all straight.

Details:

• Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
• On Facebook
• Pages: 400
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 5/2/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(59)Love the Wine You'e With by Kim Gruenenfelder

Holly, Nat, and Jessie are three girlfriends who are fed up with the way their lives are going.  Nat has an amazing career but is having an affair with her married boss.  Holly is starting to feel like a washed-up actress who can't catch a break. And Jessie's boyfriend just backed out of buying a house with her and then left for an extended business trip. They have met for drinks at a wine bar that they love but is closing because the owners got a deal that was just too good to refuse.  Maybe it is the wine talking, maybe it is the fact that they are all ready for a change, but they talk about opening their own wine bar.  It doesn't take long for the talk to become a reality. Along with their new bar, there are new men that come into their lives.  An incredibly hot wine vendor, an old college friend, and a producer that once saw Holly at her worst.  The three friends have decisions to make about their romantic futures.  Will they take a chance on someone new or will they "Love the Wine You're With?"

Love the Wine You're With was a fun book to read. All three women are incredibly likable even when they make really dumb mistakes (like dating their married boss). I loved that they just went for it and opened the wine bar, even though none of them really had any experience. It was something they wanted to do - so they did it.   I also like all three of the "new" men in their lives.  They were willing to take on the friends flaws and all.  I think Joe, the producer, was my favorite, though.  He was so good to Holly that it was easy to cheer for him.  Things worked out the way they were supposed to and they all got their "happy ever after" in one way or another.

Bottom line - Love the Wine You're With is a fun, entertaining book that demands to be read with a glass of your favorite wine.  So pour your glass, kick back, and relax!

Details:

• Love the Wine You're With by Kim Gruenenfelder
• On Twitter
• Pages: 384
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication Date: 6/13/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(58)Kingdom of Happiness by Aimee Groth

My boss has been a huge advocate of Tony Hsieh and Zappos ever since he read the book Delivering Happiness.  As a team we try to read a book every quarter and discuss what we read, this quarter my boss decided that he wanted us all to The Kingdom of Happiness, thinking it would be about Tony and the inner workings of his team and their  "tribe."  -- Well it was, but not in the way that any of us expected. And to be fair, it was me that brought the book to his attention.

Aimee Groth's first encounter with Tony Hsieh, founder, and leader of Zappos is at the desert rave, Burning Man.  The author is completely enamored with Tony when she first meets him and his - pick your favorite word here - tribe, posse, pack, gang, disciples.  Any of those words would be appropriate.  Like many others, she is quickly charmed and inspired by the leader and his quest to change the world and create almost a Utopia-like society in downtown Las Vegas.   She gives up her life on the East Coast and moves to Las Vegas in her quest for happiness. She starts out couch-surfing then finds her way to the former hotel turned commune-like complex.

What she finds is definitely a work hard, play (or drink) harder culture. She becomes part of Tony's pack and even travels with him.  She gets insight from all sorts of people in his inner-circle and comes to realize that his enigmatic personality instills a loyalty that not many people can command.  The insight the author gains from interviews and first-hand observations leave the reader wondering how Zappos could still be so successful - and then you realize that sales have dropped and his innovative attempt at a Holocracy structure is hemorrhaging both employees and sales.  Not to mention the frightening number of suicides in Tony's world.  One thing is clear - happiness is not as easy to achieve as Tony Hsieh wants everybody to believe.

Bottom-line - The Kingdom of Happiness is an absolutely riveting look at the inner workings of Tony Hsieh's world.  I always love a good "behind the scenes" kind of book and Aimee Groth is shockingly honest in what she found when she became a part of The Kingdom of Happiness.

Details:

• The Kingdom of Happiness by Aimee Groth
• On Quartz
• Page: 336
• Publisher: Touchstone
• Publication Date:2/21/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(57)Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank

Eliza and Adam Stanley have enjoyed their summer vacation on the Isles of Palms for years.  Their twin sons love to play in the pool and just getting away from the hustle and bustle of their everyday life is enough for Eliza.  One summer Adam discovers that his high school sweetheart is vacationing at the same resort.  So many years have passed that Adam fails to mention their romantic history, but Eve and Carl Landers soon become fast friends.  The couples and their children meet up every summer and over the years their friendship becomes more like family. Over the years the families share many laughs, tears, and fears.  But still, Eve and Adam don't share their romantic past.  It all comes to a head one morning when Adam and Eve are found in a compromising situation at the Landers' condo.   Even though they both swear that nothing happened Eliza and Carl are both forced to evaluate their marriages.  Eliza goes even go so far as to pack up and go visit family in Greece.  She has been putting it off forever, but the kids are grown and in college, so why not?  Eliza figures that putting distance between her and Adam will be beneficial for their marriage.  Or will it just push Adam farther away and be the final blow to their marriage?

I don't remember having read a Dorothea Benton Frank novel before, but I love a good beach read, so I gave it a shot.  I think it is meant more for the "grandma" crowd or maybe a more conservative crowd, but once I started to read it, I didn't want to stop.  The story is told primarily in the past - all the way back to when Eve is first introduced to the story all the way up to the present time - so over decades.  Both Eliza and Adam take turns narrating and while it is clear that Adam loves his wife - he is kind of an arrogant ass. And Eliza is a doting housewife with very gender-specific duties. It was so very annoying how she waited on Adam hand and foot and let him treat her like the domestic help.  I HATED how when he was the narrator he kept commenting on Eve's beauty - it was all physical.  Ugh.  I loved how she finally did what she always was wanting to do (but putting off because of Adam) and went to Greece to reconnect with her family.   In the end, things worked out the way that they were supposed to work out and there is even a nice little surprise to wrap things up nicely. 

Bottom line - Even though there were some horrible eye-roll-worthy situations in Same Beach, Next Year - I finished it and I wouldn't ever finish a bad book.  If you are in the "under 50" crowd it might not be the best beach read for you, but you can always give it to your mom as a gift.  She would likely love to read it!

Details:

• Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank
• On Facebook
• Pages: 384
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
• Publication Date: 5/16/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(56)Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica

Clara Solberg is in that postmortem haze when there is a knock at the door.  She hasn't slept in the few days since her son, Felix is born and she is confused by the officer standing at her door.  An accident?  Nick dead?  What they are saying does not make sense.  Her beloved father leaves her ailing mother and rushes to her side to help her navigate the next few excruciating days.  The decisions that must be made, the things to be done and still there is the care of Maisie and Felix.  The police are saying that Nick was driving too fast, was blinded by the sun, and hit a tree.  When Clara starts to hear Maisie have nightmares about the black car and the scary man she questions if it was really an accident.  She even goes so far as to knock on the doors of the houses near the accident.  All it takes is for one woman to say that she thinks she saw a black Chevy to send Clara down a dangerous path.   Will she be able to figure out who killed her husband and why?

Mary Kubica has outdone herself with Every Last Lie.  She tells the story in alternating voices.  Nick before the accident and Clara after the accident.   What you realize with this format is that their marriage was not as sound as Clara thought.  Nick was keeping a ridiculous amount of information from his wife under the guise of "protecting" her while she was pregnant.  Like his dental practice was sinking, he had a patient suing him for malpractice, and his ex-girlfriend was back saying he was the father of her son. Nick is feeling the financial pressure and the fact that he hasn't told Clara is putting their relationship at serious risk. On the one hand I understand Nick's reasons for keeping secrets, but on the other hand, I thought it was a jerky way to behave.  The more time that passes the more unglued Clara seems to be getting. I liked her and felt for the intense grief that was taking over her life.  The end was shockingly creative. I thought that I had it figured out several times, but I kept changing my mind and in the end, I was wrong.  Way wrong.  -- CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS -


Bottom line - Every Last Lie is going to be one of those books that will leave you speechless. There is a lot of details that the reader needs to pay attention to, but even then you may not figure it out.  Good luck, readers, let me know if you figured it out before the end!

Details:

• Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica
• On Instagram
• Pages: 336
• Publisher: Park Row Books
• Publication Date: 6/27/17
• Buy it Here!

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(55)Beach House for Rent by Mary Alice Monroe

Cara Rutledge has just finished getting her beach house ready for the summer rental season.  The income is crucial to keep the bills paid.  Her husband, Brett, runs an EcoTours business and it has been a money-sink recently.  Cara and Brett were arguing about money when Brett goes out for a run and never comes back.  His fatal heart attack leaves Cara reeling.  Even more so when she discovers that he canceled his life insurance policy.  She decides to sell their home and move into the beach house, for many reasons, but the beach house has always had healing qualities for her.   There is one problem - the beach house is rented.

Heather Wyatt's father rented the beach house for her so he can spend some quality time with his new bride.  Heather is a shy and quiet young woman with extreme anxiety relating to her mother's death.  Even she realizes that the beach house has healing qualities.  She is starting to come out of her shell and even has a boyfriend.  Her lease agreement is through the end of the summer and Heather is not about to leave early for Cara.  The two women decide to share the beach house with each other for the rest of the summer.  What will happen to the two women once the summer is over?

Beach House for Rent is another wonderful Lowcountry read from Mary Alice Monroe.  Even though nearly twenty-five years separate them in age, both Cara and Heather are trying to recover and heal.  For Cara, it is a fresh pain and for Heather, it is several years old.  The book alternates between Heather and Cara in narration, sometimes for several chapters.  It isn't until the book is more than half over that they become roommates, so you really get to know bother characters before that point.  They both have grown in the book, but I really think that Heather had the most growth given the way she really came out of her shell. I liked how she blossomed with her boyfriend, Bo.    I wasn't sure how the author was going to end things, but it was a good conclusion.

Bottom line - I haven't read a lot of books set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, but Mary Alice Monroe certainly knows how to make a reader fall in love with the area.  From the ecosystem to the cuisine, she makes it feel like you are there with the characters.  What reader doesn't love a book that can transport you to another place?

Details:

• Beach House for Rent by Mary Alice Monroe
• On Facebook
• Pages: 416
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Publication Date: 6/20/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(54)The Hyptonist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

Hypnotherapist Ellen O'Farrell is excited for her date with Patrick.  They have been out a few times and Ellen is expecting things to progress on this date, but in the middle of their date Patrick got up and left the table, leaving Ellen sitting there alone and confused.  He comes back after a while with a confession - he has a stalker.  An ex-girlfriend has followed his every move ever since they broke up years ago. Ellen is intrigued by Patrick's stalker but is not willing to end the relationship because of a silly thing like a stalker.  Soon Ellen is settled into relationship bliss with Patrick and his young son, Jack.  But at every turn, Saskia is there and when Ellen discovers that she is pregnant her curiosity over the stalker intensifies.  Why would a seemingly reasonable woman be unable to move past a breakup?  Her curiosity over Saskia intensifies when Ellen discovers that she is pregnant - what Ellen doesn't realize is that she already knows Saskia.  Will Saskia be able to put the past behind her before she does something they will all regret?

The Hypnotist's Love Story was the perfect book to listen to on my daily walks.   For one thing, the book is set in Austrailia and the accents make it fun.  The book is also narrated by both Ellen and Saskia.  Being able to hear the thoughts of both women made this book incredibly compelling - mostly because Saskia really didn't believe that what she was doing was wrong.  It was clear to the reader that Saskia was completely batshit crazy, even though she seemed so normal.   As the book progressed and Ellen's pregnancy became more of a "thing" you could get a sense that Saskia was getting close to the edge of sanity. You could hear the crazy in the narrator's voice - which really set the tone.  I couldn't tell where the author was going to take the story, but you knew it was going to be explosive.  And it was,  I would even say that it was terrifying.  I thought the end was perfect.  The author gave good endings for both Ellen and Saskia, which made me happy.  Because even though Saskia was batshit crazy, there was something likable and relatable about her. I mean what girl hasn't been dumped unexpectedly?

Bottom-line - The Hyptnotist's Love Story is just another example of the brilliance that is Liane Moriarty.  A great story about two women and the man they have both loved.

Details:

• The Hyptnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty
• On Facebook
• Pages:416
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Publication Date: 6/14/2012
• Buy it Here!

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(53)The Good Widow by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Jacqueline "Jacks" Morales was FaceTiming her sister when a knock at the door changed her life forever.  Her husband, James, was killed in a car accident in  Hawaii.  Jacks is confused because James told her he was going to Kansas for work.  And she is devastated because James was not alone in the car, his girlfriend was with him.   Jacks is dealing with her new normal when there was another knock at the door.  This time it is Nick, the fiance of the young woman with James.  He is just as devastated as Jacks and is really the only person who can fully understand what she is going through.   They start up a friendship and soon find their way to Hawaii to retrace the final steps of their loved ones hoping to gain some understanding of what happened.   And in the process, they start to have feelings for each other. The closer they get, though, Jacks starts to get a feeling that she is missing something important about what happened to James, will she be able to figure it out before it is too late?

I have been following Liz and Lisa since their early Chick Lit is Not Dead (now just a blog on their website) days.  I was thrilled when they wrote their first novel and have followed their career with interest and excitement.  You could say that I have been in inspired by their career.  Having said all of that - The Good Widow was not their best effort.  It started out strong, their first chapter had me intrigued, but almost immediately I had it figured out.  I stuck it out and finished the book hoping that there would be some kind of twist at the end to prove me wrong, but no, I was right.  The book starts out strong with Jacks finding out about the accident but from there it becomes very predictable.   The book is told in alternating voices - Jacks "after" the accident and Dylan (the other woman) "before" the accident.  You get to see both sides of the story and frankly, neither woman was perfect and James was a sleaze.  I wish that we could have seen things from Beth's viewpoint.  Beth is Jack's sister, but most often she was Jack's tether to reality.   I did not find the book all that suspenseful, nor was I all that shocked by the ending.  Overall, I was disappointed.  - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom line - I have always been a fan of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, but this year I think I would encourage you to read their previous works rather than their new release.  I wanted it to be so much better, I wanted it to have me on the edge of my seat, but sadly The Good Widow was predictable in every way.   Have you read The Good Widow?  What did you think?

Details: 

• The Good Widow by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
• On Facebook
• Pages: 300
• Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
• Publication Date: 6/1/17
• Buy it Here!

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(52)The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

Tabitha and Harper Frost may look alike, but that is where their similarities end.   Tabitha is chic and stylish - helping their famous designer mother run her empire. When they were teenagers their parents divorced and a game of rock, paper, scissors determined which girl was going to go with their father, Billy.  Harper "won" and left Nantucket for Martha's Vineyard with their father.  The girls remained close until fourteen years ago when a tragedy permanently destroyed their relationship.

Fast forward to present day - the Twins are closing in on forty, their dad just died,  and their lives are a mess.  Harper is working a dead-end job and having an affair with her father's married doctor. Tabitha recently broke up with her boyfriend of four years, her mother's store is hemorrhaging money, and her sixteen daughter is a pot-smoking delinquent.   In an interesting twist to The Parent Trap, the sister's switch lives.  Harper goes to Nantucket to run the store and look out for Ainsley while Tabitha goes to the Vineyard to get Billy's house ready to sell.  Will this life-swap be what it takes to repair the sister's damaged relationship?

It took me a minute to get into The Identicals because at first both Tabitha and Harper were pretty dreadful characters.  Tabitha was a horrible parent and Harper was sleeping with a married man.  They did the "life-swap" and it took that change for me to start to see some redeeming qualities.  More so in Harper than in Tabitha  - Tabitha was still hard for me to like. There wasn't ever one moment where Tabitha owned up to her mistakes, it was like she just decided to let it all go.  Ainsley, Tabitha's teen daughter, also went through some redemption with the help of her Aunt Harper.  She was also pretty dreadful at first.  Once the redemption started I could barely put the book down.  Things wrapped up pretty tidily and I loved how the final words were spoken from the viewpoint of Harper's dog, Fish. It added a degree of charm that wasn't there before.

Bottom line - Nantucket is a favorite summer location for not only tourists but authors, as well. Every author brings their own flavor of Nantucket.  Elin Hilderbrand definitely brings more "meat" to her stories than other authors, but that is one of the reasons why I love her books.  Life is dirty and messy - even on Nantucket.

Details:

• The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand
• On Instagram
• Pages:432
• Publisher: Little, Brown, and Co
• Publication Date: 6/13/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(51)The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder

Alice and Paul 's mother, Donna, was married to a wealthy Frenchman before she met their father.  Alice and Paul grew up with their middle-class mother speaking French, fixing strange French cuisine, and driving a used Ford station wagon. Their older half-sister, Eloise, grew up going to elite boarding schools and had chefs to fix her authentic French cuisine. Eloise tried to fit in when she was with her American family, but Paul and Alice could not help but resent her and her luxurious lifestyle.  Now Eloise is getting married in London and wants her siblings and mother there for the festivities.  Paul and Alice have to both face the harsh reality that their lives are a mess compared to their older sister.  Alice is having an affair with her married colleague and is still mourning her miscarriage years ago.  Paul just lost his job and his boyfriend is making comments that lead him to believe their relationship is in jeopardy.  Not to mention that his relationship with his mother has been non-existent since his father died.  Neither Paul nor Alice are looking forward to this wedding.  Will the wedding be the opportunity they need to heal their family or will it be the event that tears them apart for good?

The People We Hate at the Wedding puts the fun back in dysfunctional.  Of the three siblings, Paul seems to be the most dysfunctional, but Alice and Eloise and not that far behind. There were times that the dysfunction seemed extreme and was grating on my nerves.  I mean - pull it together people.    Paul was seriously a hot mess and I thought his boyfriend was a giant douche.  He redeemed himself just a little at the very end.  Alice didn't really have a good boyfriend picker either, as hers was married. It really made it hard to like her - given her homewrecker status.  Eloise was the only one who seemed to be trying to have a relationship with her siblings, but the disparity in the way that they grew up made it tough.  The book is told from the alternate viewpoints of the siblings and Donna, their mother.  I think Donna was my favorite character of the book - the way that she stood up for Paul was admirable.  I was very satisfied with the end of the book - it was realistic and reassuring that the author didn't feel the need to be fake in order to give the reader warm fuzzies.

Bottom line - The People We Hate at the Wedding is a book about a less than perfect family just trying to figure out a way to love each other.  It is a good read if you don't let all of the dysfunction get to you.

Details:

• The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder
• On Twitter
• Pages:336
• Publisher: Flatiron Books
• Publication Date: 6/6/2017
• Buy it Here!

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(50)An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Best friends Colin and Hassan are on a road trip trying to figure out where their lives are going.  Hassan is trying to figure out of college is the place for him and Colin is recovering from breaking up with his 19th girlfriend named Katherine. They find their way to Gutshot, Tennessee, where they stopped to see the grave of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  Instead they meet Lindsey Lee Wells and her mother, Hollis.  The boys have stumbled their way into a job interviewing the residents of Gutshot and learning about the history of the little town. Gutshot is a good way for the friends to pass the summer and reflect on their own history.  Especially Colin's history with the Katherines.  As a way to pass the time - and prevent future heartache - Colin devises an algorithim that will determine how long a relationship will last.  Will Colin be able to get past his broken heart to see that he has options that don't include a Katherine? And will Hassan ever decide if college is in his future?

We just took a major roadtrip and a John Green novel makes for a perfect companion.   An Abundance of Katherines is about two best friends on their own roadtrip.  We never encountered a place like Gutshot, but we sure did have fun.   I absolutely loved the narrator and the way he did the voices for the book.  Especially the elderly people the boys were interviewing - it seriously cracked me up.  Colin was a former child prodigy and ful of completely useless facts that kept popping up throughout the story.  Even though the book was written ten years ago, Hassan is the kind of character needed in today's volatile political climate.  Hassan was a completely normal teenage boy, who happened to be Muslim.  The author did an excellent job at highlighting his normalcy, even normalizing his prayer routine.  The story was a fun look at what friendship and love means - with a backdrop of rural Tennessee.


Bottom line - An Abundance of Katherines was a fugging funny book.  A lighthearted book about love and friendship.  And of course it is by John Green, which automatically makes it a must-read novel.

Details:

• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
• On YouTube
• Pages:272
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Publication Date: 9/21/2006
• Buy it Here!

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(49)The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green

Meredith, Nell. and Lizzy Sunshine grew up in the shadow of their mother, Ronni, a glamorous star of the silver screen.   Ronni was always a narcissistic and critical type of mother which did not exactly foster a close relationship with her daughters.  The sisters have scattered all over the world and rarely interact with each other. Meredith is living in London and engaged to a man who is really not well suited for her.  Lizzy is a successful celebrity chef, but she is still chasing happiness in unhealthy ways.  Nell runs a successful farm and cafe in the Connecticut countryside, not too far from where they grew up.  Ronni calls the sisters home and the sisters oblige, not sure if the demand was another one of her narcissistic tendencies or if something is really wrong.  When their mother announces that she has a terminal illness the three sisters are forced to face the cracks in their relationships.  Their relationships with their mother, others in their lives, and each other.  Will their mother finally be able to heal old wounds before it is too late?

The Sunshine Sisters is another summertime masterpiece by Jane Green.  Meredith, Nell, and Lizzy and three unique sisters that really only have one thing in common - they survived childhood with an aging actress.  It took me a few chapters to get all of the sisters straight but eventually got it.  Lizzy is the bratty one, Meredith is the meek one, and Nell is the one who isolated herself.   I struggled to like Lizzy - her selfishness was tough to swallow, but by the end of the book, I found her much more likable.  Meredith was tough to like, too.  Her meekness was overwhelming and from the very first time her fiance was introduced I wanted her to stand up and kick him in the shins.  Each of the sisters and their mother had their moment of redemption. There was a moment of shock towards the end of the book, but ultimately I was very satisfied with the way things ended.  I would even be interested in seeing a follow-up book someday.

Bottom-line - Jane Green is one of my favorite authors and just about every pen she touches spins literary gold, as far as I am concerned.  I enjoyed everything about  The Sunshine Sisters, but I particularly loved the character development.  A great story and now I have to wait another year for Jane Green's next work of art.

Details:

• The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green
• On Instagram
• Pages: 384
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication Date:6/6/2017
• Buy it Here!

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Happy Tuesday!

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