Celebrating Books and Reading
Linking up with ThatArtsyReaderGirl
I love a book with an animal on the cover and within the book. Here are some I’ve read, the first three are not on the cover but they are there within. I think my favourite might be Six-Thirty from Lessons in Chemistry. To me an animal just adds that much warmth and joy to a book.
By Book or by Crook – Charles the cat is a good judge of character.
A Whisker of trouble. – Elvis the cat is one smart cat.
Published: William Morrow
Date: 11th January 2022
Source: Publicist via NetGalley
During the snowstorm of the century Levi Cutler is stranded on a ski lift with a beautiful stranger named Jane. After strong winds hurl the gondola in front of them into the ground, Levi calls his parents to prepare them for the worst…but can’t bring himself to say goodbye. Instead, wanting to fulfill his mother’s lifelong wish, he impulsively tells her he’s happily settled and Jane is his girlfriend—right before his phone dies.
But Levi and Jane do not.
Now Levi’s family is desperate to meet “The One.” Though Jane agrees to be his pretend girlfriend for just one dinner, she’s nervous. After a traumatic childhood, Jane isn’t sure she knows how to be around a tight-knit family that cherishes one another. She’s terrified, and a little jealous. But an unexpected series of events and a host of new friends soon show Jane that perhaps this is the life she was always meant to have.
Right on the first page of The Family You Make Jill Shalvis engages us with action. Serious action as two people face that they might not come out of a dangerous situation alive.
Levi and Jane meet in a scary gondola, buffeted by a storm. Well obviously they do come out of it but one thing leads to another and this pair are falling for each other, in spite of what they both espouse. Jane never stops long in one place, her family history is one of what she experiences as rejection. Levi does have a warm hearted family, but he too has escaped as he was that bit different and felt he wasn’t understood.
As well we have Charlotte and Mateo, two doctors who work at the local hospital. Both fantastic people who are finding their way to each other. Charlotte is working at letting Jane know she has a home with her. At the moment Jane sees herself as a guest renter, but Charlotte is showing her otherwise. Part of the book’s appeal is the journey that Jane makes from “no family” to plenty of “found family”. Charlotte herself has a past history that makes her hold back with Mateo, and so she too has a journey to make.
There is plenty of romance, delightful characters, a quirky family and a Cat that knows its place. A book for those who like an engaging read with these kinds of ingredients.
A quiet week, I’ve had a sore throat and bronchial thing which meant I stayed close to home so that I don’t pass anything on. Ready to get out though now. So I spent the week reading and sewing and joining more quilt alongs than I had intended!
A memoir.
Listening to…
Angeline Boulley
I had some really good books that could be right in this spot, but this one for me just pips them out.
Read another book or at least give it the 25 page test to decide whether I keep going or not. from Sorting My TBR: April – Stay or Go
I did look at one and gave it a few page test and then put it in the bag for the book fair. And it has been dropped off!
Linking up with Nicole from FeedYourFiction Addiction.
Published: William Morrow
Date: 8th June 2021
Source: Avon Publicist via NetGalley
When Emma Harris wakes up from a coma she learns that her fiancé and her BFF have fallen in love, she’s lost her job, and the life she knew is gone. Overwhelmed but grateful to be alive she starts over from scratch. Not as easy as it sounds, of course. But she’s never been a quitter, even if she wishes she could quit rehab, where her hot but evil physical therapist, Simon, puts her through the wringer.
Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis was an utterly delightful read.
From the beginning it just wrapped itself around me and gave me such a great reading time.
Emma is such a gritty character, she just doesn’t give in, she has to start over completely again, and she still has things to cope with left over from her accident. For quite awhile she struggles to find her path, but let me just let you know find it she does.
She has this enormous big dog who is scared of everything and everyone – mostly. Hog – the dog’s name, gave me so many laugh out loud moments.
Emma meets up with Alison – they have a history from high school. Alison did one or two stupid things and plus she blamed Emma for some things. I loved how the relationship develops between them.
Simon is the physio and more than that. He is caring for his Dad – Dale who has had a stroke and as well he has had to take over the running of his Dad’s company. I loved Dale too and his outbursts and antics often had my both sympathising and smiling.
Of course there is some romance, which doesn’t go smoothly to begin with, but as it develops so do the people involved evolve.
This for me was the right book at the right time.
A good week. Winter hasn’t really set in yet although its rainy today.
Opening my Facebook feed one morning I was shocked to see the death of author Lucinda Riley. Some of you will know her because of The Seven Sisters book. #7 has just published and there was to be one more final one. Not sure if that is in the pipeline now or not. She had been battling cancer for the last 4 years but kept it very quiet. Another big loss in the book world and of course to her family. I did a bit of “research” on her and found out she wrote her books by speaking them, never actually using pen or paper or computer typing. She was born in Ireland and then lived pretty much her adult life in England. She visited New Zealand just before the pandemic as she was researching for #7 book. Thank you Lucinda Riley for the pleasure of so many interesting books.
Still listening to The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley. Well into it now.
Matt Haig
Janice Hadlow
Danielle Hawkins
Lauren K Denton
Hard choice to make, didn’t really have a top read this month. They all almost rated 4 stars. One 3 star. However the one I was most taken by was The Other Bennet Sister, mainly because it surprised me at how much I enjoyed it.
Already started reading Archangel’s Sun and I don’t have my sight set on anything else in particular.
Linking up with Nicole from FeedYourFiction Addiction.
I seem to have had a good reading week. The weather hasn’t been great – I want more sun!
On Saturday I went up to my sister’s place in Wanganui for a family night. I travelled up with my sister and brother-in-law and another sister so the few hours flew. A brother and sister-in-law also came up so a lovely group for the night and my sister is a great cook! They are just outside the city and it feels like you are in the country but you aren’t. It made a lovely break.
The Other Bennett Sister was for me and I really liked how this was handled. The Midnight Library was different and a good read as well. Jill Shalvis book is a Jill Shalvis book!
Just started this one
And mid way through this one
And still listening to my Tradd Street book.
My reading was baaaad this week. Lots of distractions. Firstly lots of people which was wonderful but not so good for reading.
Plus glued to watching the USA election from here in New Zealand. I must say I have become much more familiar with the placement on the map of all the various States!
This is all I finished! I really enjoyed it, with laugh out moments and such a New Zealand setting. Thanks Shellyrae for encouraging me to read this one.
From my Kindle list, decided to try and read a few. Not getting very far on it as so many distractions but will get back into it.
My audiobook hasn’t really progressed, I need to get back to it.
Thought I might try this next from the library and see if its for me.
Published: William Morrow
Date: 18th June 2019
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
The Lemon sisters are at a crossroads. Mindy turns up at sister Brooke’s LA apartment with three children – one not potty trained, saying she has had it, she is tired, her husband is stepping out on her and she needs a break. Some of that is true, some of that she’s making up stories in her head.
Brooke works on making travel movies but in these later years she has been in the studio, not out in the field. It turns out she has some PTSD from a traumatic event that has left her fragile, anxious and heart sore. She hasn’t been back to Wildstone for a long time. But when Mindy appeals for help, she finds herself wending her way there minus Mindy and three children in tow.
The men are good guys, Linc is a hard working guy, but clueless about his wife and what is happening to her. Garrett the next door neighbor has a history with Brooke that ended in heartbreak for both of them, he has a whole growing up situation too that has left him with issues.
Of course we have the cats, a likeable dog and balloon that denotes the travels of a pet to sweeten the deal. Plus three children who are mostly adorable. They made the book for me, and I laughed at the toilet seat difficulty that Millie points out about of her youngest brother. Who hasn’t been caught out by that!
This has all the trademarks of a Jill Shalvis – some humor, some sizzling romance with misunderstandings, and a well told happy ever after story.
The Book Date 