Book Reviews Galore & A Giveaway

Hello, dear friends. I hope that you enjoyed your weekend.  The Mister and I took care of a lot of errands on Saturday. We hit the Cape on Sunday.  Mashpee was our destination, or as I call it cute town with a weird name.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Bleu, which is one of our favorite spots on the Cape.  Lilly was having a huuuuuuge sale.  It is going on online now until tomorrow, and they've got some great deals. 

I picked up this little number for a song. 

I'm going to use it as a cover-up during the Royal Wedding weekend. 

Yesterday, I did a little shopping and a bit of returning and met my dear cousin Louise and our friend Doris for a delightful lunch.   

*****

My past few Summers included a resolution to read/listen to at least twenty novels.  This is the first Summer that I surpassed my goal, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I made a few changes in my lifestyle in order to achieve my goal.  I don't know whether I ever openly admitted to you that I was a junkie.  A News Junkie.   I would have a certain news station on all day long.  I am not going to share with you what station for fear of receiving hate mail.  

In any case, I gave up the News during the day and replaced it played Frank Sinatra and Nora Jones on Sonos while cruising the net and working on my blog.  I listened to audiobooks while driving, doing my walks, and working my fingers to the bone doing housework.  Are you reading this Mister?

And guess what.  

I found a huge difference in my attitude and temperament.  

If you don't believe me, ask these two.

Don't they look happy?

I was not only more relaxed, but I was a lot more focused.  I am going to continue with this new healthy habit allowing occasional pop-ins by Hoda and Jenna. 

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Park Avenue Summer is the fictionalized account of Helen Gurley Brown's rise to the top of Cosmo.  The narrator of the story is her assistant.

Rosen brought HGB to life in all her glory.  The woman had it all - charisma, charm, and an uncompromising work ethic. 

I enjoyed every page in this book.  The references to NYC restaurants and descriptions of HGB's stunning wardrobe were the cherries on this sundae.

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I never wanted Meet Me In Monaco to end.  The love story involves a struggling perfumer in Monaco who owns a shop and an American journalist.  The backdrop is the week of Grace Kelly's wedding.  Added bonus:  Grace makes a few cameos.
The romance pulled at my heartstrings.  

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Finding Mrs. Ford not only has a gorgeous cover, but it contains a captivating story throughout its pages.  Two detectives show up at the door of Mrs. Ford's waterfront mansion in picturesque Watch Hill, RI.  The gentlemen inform Mrs. Ford that they just took an Iranian man into custody at the airport.  He told them that he was on his way to... where else?  Mrs. Ford's house.  This book is loaded with heart-thumping twists and turns.    

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This novel is based on the incredibly exciting life of Hedy Lamarr.  She was not only a famous screen star, but she was also an inventor of a guidance device for tracking of torpedoes, which the Navy eventually implemented.  The Only Woman In The Room is chock full of romance and intrigue.  I was captivated.

The Mister and I both listened to this one, and he liked it as much as I did.  The narration is superb.

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From Scratch is a sweet, tender, beautifully-written memoir chronicling Tembi and her husband, Saro's love story.  They met while Tembi was in college studying abroad in Sicily.  Saro was a Sicilian chef, who teaches Tembi about love, food, loyalty, and Italian culture. Tembi presents such vivid descriptions of the Italian dishes that I could almost smell the alluring aroma of garlic. Bonus: it includes recipes!

I absolutely loved this book.  
It broke my heart but also filled me with hope.  

I highly recommend listening to this book which is read by the author.  Tembi puts her heart and soul into her reading. 

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Murder in the Hamptons, anyone?

The East End has got captivating characters and a moving plotline. 

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I never expected to love this book as much as I did.  The Downstairs Girl has got the whole package - love, romance, humor, and political strife.  It takes place in Atlanta in 1890 and Jo is the lovable, clever protagonist who works as a ladies maid during the day and an undercover advice columnist by night.

The writing was indeed the star of this novel.  The quirky phrases and humorous southern expressions were music to my ears. I listened to this book but I kind of wish that I had read it because there were so many hysterical sayings that I wanted to write down.

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I really enjoyed this psychological thriller.  Just when I finally thought that I figured out where the plot was headed, the author hits a hairpin turn and forgets to tell me to hit the breaks.

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Summer of '69 is an entertaining family saga in pure Hilderbrand style.  Great characters and I got a kick out of all the references to the 1960's pop culture. Pure entertainment with Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard as the backdrop. 

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Drawing Home is the perfect beach read.  It takes place in beautiful Sag Harbor. The protagonist is Emma, who is the front desk clerk at a small, charming inn.  She is a single mother with a preteen daughter, Penny who loves to draw.  An older daily patron, Henry, is a famous artist and sketches every day at the bar with his cocktail. He strikes up a sweet friendship with Penny and guides and critiques her artwork.  Henry passes away suddenly at the bar.  Is there a better way to go?  Days later, Emma is summoned to Henry's lawyer's office to be told that Henry left his waterfront mansion to Penny.
Why don't things like that ever happen to me?

The story is well-written and moves quickly.  I'm a sucker for any story about a charming inn nestled in a beach community.

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I enjoyed Lisa Duffy's first book, The Salt House tremendously.  She has not lost her touch with This Is Home.

This Is Home centers around sixteen-year-old Libby.  She lives in a three-story house with her father.  The other apartments are occupied by her two aunts, and a new tenant, Quinn.  Duffy has a gift for creating well-rounded, relatable characters.  The story encompasses family, love, heartbreak, loyalty, and most of all, home.

This was a Book Club pick, and Lisa Duffy came to our discussion group.  It is so much fun to talk to the author and pick her brain about the characters, plotline, and inspiration.  

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Next Year In Havana is the story of two women.  One segment tells the story of the grandmother's last year in Cuba in 1959.   The second involves her granddaughter's return to Cuba in 2017 to cover a story.  I enjoyed getting to know all the major players in this powerful novel, as well as the razor-sharp descriptions of the sounds and sights of Cuba.  

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I found The Stationery Shop to be unexpectedly compelling.  The story takes place in 1953 Tehran.  The setting is a stationery shop owned by Mr. Fakhri, who challenges his young patrons to use their minds and open their eyes to the political situation happening in their country. Roya and Aslan meet as teens and fall in love.  Their tale is filled with heartbreak and undying love.  The book spans about sixty years, and the ending is bittersweet.   

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This book resonated with me because it is the tale of two sistas.  Mrs. Everything deals with first love, sexual identity, drug abuse, marriage, and divorce.  The common threads are woven together by two strong, resilient women and glued by unfailing sisterly love and respect. 

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My buddy, Bookbimbo writes the best reviews on Instagram.  She highly recommended this one and I am very glad that she did.  The Last Romantics is a family saga which tells the story of four siblings - 3 girls and 1 boy, Joe, who is the central force within the story.  He is adored by his sisters and faces demons his entire adult life.

This is the story of unconditional love and the ties that bind. 

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Nobody does it better than Ruth Ware when it comes to creepy psychological thrillers.  A young woman, Rowan, is hired to be a live-in nanny for three children.  The pay is substantial.  The home is a state-of-the-art smart house.  On the first night, the parents, who are business partners, announce that they need to go out of town for a few days and give Rowan a large, comprehensive manual.  They also informed her that they would keep in touch by stopping in via all the cameras throughout the house.  For no apparent reason, one of the girls shows malice towards Rowan and the cleaning lady throws her bitter side-eye.  Did I mention the entitled daughter from the first marriage shows up to stir the pot?  Or the handsome caretaker who lives in the carriage house? 

I couldn't put this one down.

  

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I truly enjoyed this book that sheds light on the long-lasting results of infidelity.  Robert has everything - a successful medical practice, a beautiful young second wife, and a magazine-worthy home. Robert is named Man of the Year in his town.  He can't understand why his wife and his teenage son, Jonah are not as impressed with his honor as much as he is. All is grand in Robert's world until Jonah's friend comes to spend the Summer.  That's when it all hits the fan.  

Most of the book is narrated by egotistical, charming, boorish Robert, who had me chuckling at his take on people and events.  This clever novel is definitely worth the read.  

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You know I love a good book about the Kennedys.  This book is better than good, it is great.  Taraborrelli gives a birds-eye look into all of the lives of the heirs, not just Jackie and Jack's kids. 
Sidenote:  I don't think that the author will be receiving any dinner invitations from Ethel. 

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A Nearly Normal Family is a slow-burning legal thriller that had me listening to it every free moment of my day.  There are three narrators - the father, the daughter, and the mother.  They each tell their version of the same shattering event. The difference lies within the secrets and deceptions.  The reader must decipher the truth. I enjoyed the writing style as well as the plotline.

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"Love is only part of the story" is a quote taken from the last pages of the book Yes, Again Yes.  Love may be just a part of this tale, but it is also the thread that weaves this heartbreaking story together. 

Simply put, this novel is about two families who are next-door neighbors.  The patriarchs are policemen.  The families never grow close, except for the son of one family and the daughter of the other.  A tragedy occurs, and both families are shattered.

This novel explores life, family, mental illness, and unconditional love.

I love cosmetics and even worked for Estee Lauder part-time a hundred years ago.  Naturally, when the publisher sent me an advance copy in exchange for a fair review, I was very excited.   I thought that this book was fascinating.  It is about two women pioneers in the 1930s and 1940s.  Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden provided the inspiration.

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The First Mistake serves many twists and turns until the bitter end.  Thanks to this author, I cleaned out two closets while listening to this psychological thriller.  Its main character is Alice, who recently married Nathan, her second husband.  Strange things start happening around Alice. Are they real or imagined? I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. 

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Cassie, an outstanding young firefighter, is transferred from her station in Austin, Texas to a small town outside of Boston, where her estranged mother lives.  This is a charming story of reconnecting, family roots, forgiveness, and love. 

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I am officially done with historical fiction written with two timelines.  It's a formula, and it's overdone. The story is pretty good, but it was way too long. I grew tired of going back and forth between the two timelines.

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I have not read Nora Roberts in years.  Undercurrents is another one that dragged on for me, and by the end, I felt the storyline was a bit farfetched.

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I've read all of Burke's novels.  This one wasn't my favorite, but it did keep my interest.  A Manhatten lawyer is murdered.  Two estranged sisters, one who is the victim's ex-wife and the other being his widow set out to solve the crime.  This one moved quickly, kept me entertained, and gave me pause at the end.

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I am about 70% through with this psychological thriller and enjoying every bit.  

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I'm about halfway through listening to this darling story. So far, it reminds me of  The Story of Arthur Truluv, which I really enjoyed. 

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*****

Here's the fun part.  I am giving away two autographed books, The Map Of Salt And Stars and Carnegie Hill.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment.  Some suggestions: the best book that you read over the Summer, most enjoyable getaway that you took, blog post suggestions, dirty jokes, words of advice, etc.  Anything goes.  I will announce the winner on Thursday.


Until next time...

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