First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The It Girl; Ruth Ware

                                                    

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon.  

It It Girl; Ruth Ware

Gallery/Scout Press - 2022

(20 Books of Summer List)

BEFORE

Afterwards, it was the door she would remember.  It was open, she kept saying to the police.  I should have known something was wrong.

She could have retraced every step of the walk back from the hall: the gravel crunching beneath her feet of the path across the Old Quad, under the Cherwell Arch, then the illegal shortcut through the darkness of Fellows' Garden, her feet light on the soaked forbidden lawn.  Oxford didn't need KEEP OFF THE GRASS signs; that lawn had been the preserve of dons and fellows for more than two hundred years without needing to remind undergraduates of the fact.

What do you think, read more or pass.  I've have pretty good luck with this author and, I do like a good mystery set in academia, so I'm hoping this will be a winner.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Vacationland; Meg Mitchell Moore

                                                     

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon.  This one comes from my (20) Books of Summer list.

Vacationland; Meg Mitchell Moore

William Morrow - 2022

June

1.

Kristie

The Greyhound from Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Rockland, Maine takes twelve hours and thirty-three minutes with three stops, all of them where you don't necessarily want to use the bathroom but may find you have no choice.  Even so, the first part of the journey isn't too bad--Kristie Turner has two seats to herself.  But in New Haven, six hours into the journey, she gains a seat mate in the form of a sixty-something named Bob who wants to talk with Kristie about the granddaughter he is going to meet for the first time, and also about abiding love for Creedence Clearwater Revival. Never mind that the bus left Altoona at eleven at night, so by this point it's five in the morning.

Can't you see I'm tire? Kristie wants to say. Can't you see I'm grieving? But, of course, Bob can't see that.  Grief is not something you wear on a vest, like a Brownie patch.  She rolls up her sweatshirt to form a pillow and angels her body away from Bob's, falling deeply asleep.

What do you think? Read More or pass?

2 Book Reviews - The Guncle; Steven Rowley and The Newcomer; May Kay Andrews

I was looking for a couple of light summer reads and these (2) fit the bill. They weren't perfect but, they were fun and I was happy I tried them.

TITLE/AUTHOR: The Guncle; Steven Rowley

PUBLISHER:   G.P. Putnam

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / LBGTQ / Family

FORMAT: print / LENGTH: 324 pp

SOURCE:  Library

SETTING(s):  CT and CA

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  Gay uncle Patrick "The Guncle" steps up to care for his young niece and nephew just when his brother and the kids need him the most.

Patrick lives in Palm Springs, CA and once was a famous actor but his life hasn't been quite the same since someone he loved was killed by a drunk driver.  When his brother Greg, an attorney in CT loses his wife to cancer and he is struggling with his own personal crisis, he asks for  Patrick's help in caring for his two young children for a few months. The children: Maise 9, and Grant 6, love when they visit GUP (gay uncle Patrick) in Palm Springs but, living with him for several months will prove quite different for all of them.  Grant, the adorable and toothless. The 6 year-old speaks with a lisp and is super inquisitive adding much humor to the story as does, Patrick in the manner he deals with the (2) youngsters in his life.

The story is heartfelt, funny and a tad sad at times (not overly so(. It's a story of family and loss and about stepping up when others are hurting. I loved all the old-Hollywood references and all of the charming characters. Patricks relationship with his niece and nephew was special. I'm not surprised that this one has been optioned for a movie - very sweet.

I picked this one up from the library on a whim and was glad I did.

RATING - 4.5/5 stars

TITLE/AUTHOR: The Newcomer; Mary Kay Andres

PUBLISHER:   Macmillan Audio

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Family

FORMAT: audio download / LENGTH: 14 hours 30 min.

SOURCE:  Publisher/Library  / audio download

SETTING(s):  NYC and FL

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  One sister is dead and the other flees with her motherless 4 year old niece to Florida.

When Letty finds her sister Tanya dead in her expensive Manhattan townhouse, she heeds her sister's previous warnings that if anything were to happen to her Letty was to take her daughter Maya and flee as her ex-Evan is most likely the killer.  Letty then takes her sister's Mercedes, her to-go bag packed with $19,000 in cash and a motel clipping of a place in Florida called the Murmuring Surf Motel and heads off with Maya.  When she reaches her destination she finds a "no vacancy sign" on the run down motel.  She plays on the heartstrings of the kind owner Ava about her long drive and needing a place for her and Maya to sleep and although they are fully booked Ava agrees to help them out.  Soon Letty is working there in exchange for charging her room fees.  However, is The Murmuring Surf motel the safest place for Letty and Maya? Why did her sister have the clipping in her bag in the first place?

I felt there was a lot to like about this story, it is part mystery (Tanya had a dark past) yet overall a light summer read. I loved Letty and her relationship with Maya. I loved the run-down motel setting which was mostly inhabited by grouchy senior snowbirds who return year after year and think they set the rules, of course, they see Letty as "The Newcomer."  There is also Joe, who is Ava's daughter. He is a cop although he seems a bit unethical at times. He first gives Letty a difficult time but, before you know it there appears to be a budding romance which I felt seemed out of place.

Overall, I thought this story was entertaining with the unique cast of characters. I thought the author did a good job meshing Tanya's story with the present story as Letty tried to figure out what really happened to her sister and why.  My biggest complaint was that this story was way too long (14+ hours) on audio. A story this long is not what most would expect for a summer beach read. The audio was read by Kathleen McInerney who did a very good job.

RATING:  4/5

The audiobook was a free download provided by Macmillan Audio in exchange for my unbiased review.  Unfortunately, the download disappeared from my NetGalley shelf before I had a chance to listen to it but, I was able to download it from the library.

Book Review - Malibu Rising; Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

TITLE/AUTHOR: Malibu Rising; Taylor Jenkins Reid

PUBLISHER:   Random House Audio

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Family Saga

FORMAT: audio download / LENGTH: 11 hours 5 min.

SOURCE:  Publisher / audio download

SETTING(s):  Malibu, CA

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  An epic party to celebrate the end of summer changes the lives of many.

BRIEF REVIEW:  Malibu Rising tells the story of the four Riva siblings: Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit and their parents June and Mick.  Mick was a famous singer who fell in love with June, the daughter of The Costas who owned fish & chips joint in town in 1956.  Through flashbacks we learn much about their rocky relationship and life together how it affected the lives of their four children through the lead up of the big end-of-summer bash on August 27, 1983, that gets out of control and ends in disaster.

A love a good family saga and think this one has that feel. This is definitely a character driven story and the author does a great job letting the reader get to know each of the Riva siblings and to and lesser degree, parents June and Mick. I loved the strong sibling ties. By far, Nina was my favorite character, a gorgeous model, fabulous surfer but someone who with a sense of responsibility to others and someone who  put the needs of others above her own. I liked June and Riva's story and that invincible feeling when young and in love that sometimes makes one overlook the obvious. I liked the Malibu beach scene and the 1980s vibes: the sun, the surf, the music and the fancy free lifestyle. My least favorite aspects of this story was the details of the rich and entitled party attendees who seemed to do everything in excess. There was plenty of booze, drugs and sex in this novel as well. Overall I liked this story even though some parts were overdone.

This is my second novel by this author, Daisy Jones and the Six was my first and one I enjoyed.  I gather that Mick Riva was one of the husbands in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but I haven't read that one yet.

RATING:  4/5

Thanks go to Random House Audio for allowing me access to this book in exchange for my unbiased review. The audiobook was read by Julia Whelan who did a great job.

Memorial Day Weekend ~ The Official Kick-Off of My Summer Reading 2012

For me, Memorial Day weekend officially kick off the summer. For me that often means, a few easier, lighter reads, that require less focus, are still fun, and will enable me to people watch and bird watch, whether on the beach or in the park.  

• I'm starting my own, personal summer-reading challenge.  
• I'm making a list of (15) books, all from my physical shelves.
• I'm hoping to read and review (10) from this list.
• Feel free to make your own list and use the image as well.

Here's My List:

1. Yellow Raft in Blue Water; Michael Dorris
2. Northwest Corner; John Schwartz (4/5) 
3. The Spectator Bird; Wallace Stegner (5/5)
4. The First Day of the Rest of My Life; Cathy Lamb
5. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest; Stieg Larsson
6. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty; Josilyn Jackson (5/5) -
7. The Stand; Stephen King (4/5)
8. Prodigal Summer; Barbara Kingsolver
9. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry; Rachel Joyce - 5/5 (no review yet)
10. Model Home; Eric Puchner
11. Tell the Wolves I'm Home; Carol Rifka Brunt - 5/5 (no review yet)
12. Evening Ferry; Katherine Towler
    
13. A Translation of the Bones; Francesca Kay  4.5/5 
14. The Folded Earth; Anuradha Roy 4/5 (no review yet)
15. Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale; Lynda Rutledge

Have you read any of these? If so which do you recommend?

Library Loot - Fun Summer Reads

It seems like all my reserved books have arrived at the same time, and I just know that some will have to be returned unread in 2 weeks :( Here they are:

1. Beach Trip: A Novel ;Cathy Holton
2. Life Without Summer: A Novel;Lynne Griffin
3. Wildwater Walking Club, The;Claire Cook
4. Hello Goodbye: A Novel; Emily Chenoweth
5. Into the Beautiful North: A Novel; Luis Alberto Urrea

Which of these would you read first?