Travel the world in three novels

Reprinted from auburnpub.com

Travel the World in Fiction

One of the more interesting things about reading fiction is that it can take to places all over the world without ever leaving your home. This month’s Book Report shares some novels set in places we may never get to see in person.

We start closer to home on a cruise ship going from Miami to the Bahamas in Emma Straub’s novel American Fantasy. Annie is a 50 years old newly divorced empty nester who agreed to go on a cruise with her sister Katherine. 

Katherine is a super fan of Boy Talk, a popular 90’s boy band who do a fan cruise every year. Annie liked the band but wasn’t really excited about going on a cruise with middle-aged women like herself who are obsessed with a boy band whose members are also fifty years old.

When Katherine breaks her leg and can’t go on the cruise, Annie ends up with a new roommate who shows her ropes. One problem is that everyone on the ship warns her about her roommate.

Slowly, Annie begins to enjoy herself and even makes a connection with one of the members of the band. The story is told through the eyes of Annie, Sarah, one of the cruise employees, and Kevin, one of the band members.

Anyone who was a fan of 90’s groups like New Kids on the Block and NSYNC will enjoy this charming story. Annie is very relatable and the relationship among the members of the band is fascinating. Grab a fruity drink as you read American Fantasy and you’ll feel like you are on the ship.

Andrew Sean Greer’s new novel Villa Coco has an autobiographical tint to it. A young archivist travels to Tuscany in Italy to take on the task of organizing and archiving an elderly woman’s art and home collection.

The job is a little more than archiving- he is expected to be an all-around assistant to the Baronessa, including caring for her garden and dogs, shopping, taking dictation, and chasing away wild animals. 

The Baronessa is an intriguing character who renames everyone in her orbit, including our protagonist whom she calls Giovedi (Thursday) in a nod to ‘Gal Friday’. She is demanding and feisty, and clearly has some sort of agenda for hiring this young American man. She disapproves of his clothes so she takes him to a thrift shop and purchases a friend’s donated  wardrobe.

Giovedi is lonely and gets involved romantically with a married man, which complicates matters for all. He meets many of the Baronessa’s friends and compatriots, and works to try and figure out exactly why he was hired for this job as he is drawn further and further into the Baronessa’s world.

Greer does a marvelous job putting the reader right in the middle of Tuscany at this village and in Venice as he travels with the Baronessa and finally discovers what is going on and where his future lies. Villa Coco is humorous and beautiful, and the writing draws you into this intriguing world.

Jenny Colgan writes a series of novels set in on the island of Mure in Scotland, and her latest is Meet Me at the Seaside Cottages. The novels opens as thirty year old Essie is let go from her job through downsizing. She is devastated because it means that she will have to leave bustling Edinburgh and her boyfriend (who has a great job in finance) and move back home with her mom Janey.

Janey lives in a lovely seaside cottage and loves her job and her daughter, although she and Essie have rarely seen eye to eye. It seems to Janey that in Essie’s eyes, she can’t do anything right.

Like many beautiful areas, older properties are being bought by large companies and turned into Airbnb rentals and vacation homes for wealthy people, changing the fabric of the communities. 

The cottage next Janey’s has been bought by a local man, and Essie sees an opportunity to use her organizational and marketing skills to help him renovate and prepare to flip the cottage and make some needed money for herself.

Recently divorced, Janey has been disappointed with her foray into the online dating scene. When she meets a local architect, her love life just may take a turn for the better. 

Jenny Colgan’s books are always delightful and she excels at creating small communities filled with people you’d want to meet in real life. It’s a joy to get lost in Meet Me at the Seaside Cottages.

American Fantasy by Emma Straub- A-

Published by Riverhead Books

Hardcover, $30, 286 pages

Villa Coco by Andrew Less Greer- A-

Published by Doubleday

Hardcover, $30, 288 pages

Meet Me at the Seaside Cottages by Jenny Colgan- A-

Published by Avon

Trade paperback, $18,99, 352 pages

Friday 5ive- July 15, 2022

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly-ish blog post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

1) While walking on my errand run this week, I passed Max Mara's store on Madison Ave. and this window display caught my eye. I'm always happy when I see anyone reading a book, even a bear. (Hey, we have the same eyeglasses!)

2) It seems like more a than few restaurants have decided to upgrade their outdoor dining areas with floral overhead decor. Loew's Regency Hotel on the Upper East Side has a long canopy of white flowers outside their hotel where a cafe resides (to cover the ugly scaffolding above), and Cacio e Pepe near the Webster Library on York Ave. has gone with a pink and white motif of flowers overhead. It adds a lovely touch to the neighborhood. 

3) We went to dinner at our usual Thursday place, Jean Claude 2, a French bistro near our apartment. We haven't been there in awhile, but the manager recognized us and was happy to see us back. The place was decked out in red, blue, and white balloons and it dawned on me that it was Bastille Day, July 14th. We sat near the door and laughed each time someone new entered the restaurant and said "Is it someone's birthday?" I guess we had good timing for the LaRues to show up on Bastille Day at the French bistro. It was delicious as always. Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!

4) The last episodes of Better Call Saul began this week on AMC. They left us with a crazy cliffhanger last time, and picked right up at the beginning of the epsiode. The tension just kept racheting up and up as the minutes ticked by, and you didn't know how people were going to get out of the dangerous situations they found themselves in. I swear I was holding my breath the entire show. The show garnered many Emmy nominations this week, including an overdue nomination for Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler. 

5) I read three wonderful books this week. I returned to the fictional island of Mure off the coast of Scotland in Jenny Colgan's Christmas at the Island Hotel. I so enjoyed catching up with all of the characters I feel are my friends. Flora is adjusting to being a new mom, and preparing for the grand opening of the Rock, the hotel owned by her brother Fintan. She is planning her own wedding to Joel when her archnemesis Jan's supermodel sister sweeps in and wants to have an over-the-top, insanely expensive wedding that would put much needed money into the Rock's coffers. My favorite storyline of the novel involves the love between Saif, the doctor who left his war-torn home country of Syria with his two young sons but without his wife, and Lorena, a schoolteacher and Flora's best friend. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.  And, well it is Christmas in July, right?

I have not read any of Katherine Center's books, but after reading her newest one, The Bodyguard, I will be checking out her backlist ASAP. Hannah Brooks is a bodyguard who usually guards business people for a living. Her assignment this time is to protect Hollywood hunk Jack Stapleton who has a stalker on his tail. Jack has disappeared from Hollywood for a few years and is visiting his sick mom in Houston. He doesn't want his mom to worry, so Hannah has to pretend to be his girlfriend while he is at his family's ranch. Hannah is dealing with the recent death of her mother and being dumped by her boyfriend who works with her. I raced through this one, filled with terrific characters and a unique workplace situation, finishing it in just a few hours. The Bodyguard is a perfect beach or porch read, and would make a wonderful rom-com movie. 

The last book I read is Katy Tur's memoir Rough Draft. Katy Tur is an MSNBC reporter, anchoring the 2pm hour daily. Her memoir deals with growing up with her parents as newspeople in Los Angeles. Her Dad flew a news helicopter and her mom hung off the helicopter shooting footage they would sell to news stations. They shot the famous Reginald Denny beating during the Los Angeles riots in 1992, and OJ Simpson's slow highway vehicle chase in 1994. Bob Tur was a violent man, beating his wife, son and daughter. In 2013, Bob Tur came out as transgender and, although Katy publicly and privately supported her father, he was emotionally abusive to her, berating her in public for not being supportive enough. 

Katy Tur became famous for covering Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and frequently incurred his public wrath as he berated her at his rallies, encouraging his followers to do the same. There are similarities between Bob Tur and Donald Trump, and Katy learned how to respond to Trump through her experiences dealing with her father. She married fellow newsman Tony Dikoupil, an anchor on CBS Mornings, someone who also had a difficult father (he was one of the biggest drug smugglers on the East Coast and is in prison). I liked reading about their love story, and their two young children. Katy Tur is an excellent writer, she never wastes a word in this honest, sharp memoir. I highly recommend it. 

I hope you all have a safe, healthy week.

Friday 5ive- October 30, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my attention this week.

It's a big week- Halloween is tomorrow and the election is five days away. And we have a full moon, the first one on Halloween seen all across the United States since 1944. Is that a good omen?

1)  My sister-in-law has a lovely Halloween display on her new patio. It's so pretty and festive!

2) Early voting started in New York City on October 24th and where we live on the Upper East Side, the Board of Elections has one early voting precinct for 118, 000 voters, making it the most overloaded in the city. Judging by the near constant line that frequently wrapped around the block two and nearly three times, it appears that all 118,000 voters are voting early. Rain didn't stop them either; we brought our umbrellas, rain gear, listened to podcasts, and waited between 3-6 hours in line to do their civic duty. The poll workers were great- they kept everyone orderly and organized and once inside things moved quickly.

3)  I watched two interesting streaming events this week. Last Friday night, Seth Meyers hosted a Seinfeld  reunion "A Fundraiser About Something"  with Larry David, Jason Alexander, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It was a benefit for the Texas Democratic Party, and they raised over $600,000. They reminisced about their favorite episodes, ("Soup Nazi", "The Contest" among them), and a few lucky donors won a phone call from Julia, Jason doing his infamous answering machine message on their voicemail, and they even shamed Larry David into doing a phone call for one person (just one- that's all!). 

Each year Bette Midler hosts a gala called Hulaween to benefit the New York Restoration Project, founded 25 years ago by Midler. They clean up parks, plant trees, build community gardens for city residents to grow fresh produce, and run education programs for public school children. NYRP has made such a big difference in the life of New York City residents. This year's gala was virtual, and it was a reunion of the movie "Hocus Pocus" featuring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker. It was a new story, filmed at 70 different locations, and filled with great guest stars like Meryl Streep, Martin Short, Glenn Close (as Cruella de Vil),  John Stamos as Satan, Jennifer Hudson singing "I'm Not Telling You" and a surprise cameo by Mariah Carey singing "All I Want For Christmas". It was so well done and entertaining, a great way to forget about the crazy world outside. 

4) We binge-watched HBO's Succession over two weeks. It's about a family, whose patriarch (brilliantly played by Brian Cox) is the head of a multimedia conglomerate (think Rupert Murdoch), and the search within his family for a successor to his empire. Jeremy Strong won an Emmy this year for his portrayal of the troubled eldest son, and Kiernan Culkin, Alan Ruck and Sarah Snook are the other siblings with their own problems. It's Shakespearean in its storytelling, filled with betrayals, plotting, and double-crosses. I highly recommend the 2020 Emmy winner for Best Drama. You can watch the first episode here.

Succession

5)  I've been in a bit of a reading slump (maybe because of Succession), so I've just started two books.  The first one is The Little Book of Life Skills by Erin Zammett Ruddy. The book teaches the reader how to send email, pump gas, create secure passwords, even the proper way to blow dry your hair, with advice from experts in the field. It's interesting, and would make a great holiday gift for people just starting out on their own. (Is that even a thing now?) 

I needed a feel-good book, so I turned to Jenny Colgan's Christmas at the Island Hotel, which continues her series of books set on the small island of Mure off the coast of Scotland.  (Christmas On the Island and Endless Beach are the first two). I love catching up with Flora and her family and somehow it seems just right to read a Christmas book now. It feels like a warm cup of cocoa on a cold night. 

I hope you all stay safe and socially distant, wash your hands, wear a mask, and this is your last chance to vote and make your voice heard, to choose the future you want for your children and grandchildren.

  

Friday 5ive- May 8, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a blog post about five things that caught my attention this week. It seems like every week is either a day or a month, nothing in between.

1)  We have decided that since we will be home, we should jazz up the balcony a little bit. We found these plants at a nearby Home Depot and they do brighten up our outdoor area. Now we just need the warm weather to stay. The bottom photo is the view we had from our balcony on Sunday night.

2)  We also made a stop at Costco, where we scored a 30 pack of toilet paper and 12 pack of paper towels. A swing by the meat department found it completely empty, and a sign limiting people to 3 packages of meat per person.

3)  Many of you know of my family's love of Peleton bikes. I'm so glad we have one, especially now that most gyms are closed. I was very excited to see the Peleton truck making a delivery to someone in the neighborhood, I know that Peleton has sold a lot of bikes in the past two months.

4)  Two shows that we like to watch have returned- Billions on Showtime, and Ozark on Netflix. Billions is about a hedge fund billionaire, played by Damien Lewis and his nemesis, a former US Attorney, now Attorney General of NY, played by Paul Giamatti. It's a very intense show, and there are a lot of moving parts. Frequently we look at each other and say, wait, who is that and what are they talking about? The other thing is that Paul Giamatti speaks very low and quietly, and you have to turn up the volume to hear him. 

Ozark is back for a third season, and we've heard it's the best one yet. Jason Bateman and Laura Linney play a couple who have gotten involved with laundering drug money for a Mexican cartel. Each year, they get in deeper and deeper. The acting is fantastic, and Julia Garner won an Emmy last year for her role as a tough, smart young woman who works for Jason Bateman. 

5) I finished one book, Jenny Colgan's Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend, which is perfect for fans of Bridget Jones' Diary. It's about a young London woman who goes from high society to living with four guys and cleaning their bathroom. It's funny and a little rough around the edges compared to Colgan's other books. My full review is here.

I'm in the middle of Colum McCann's Apeirogon, about two men, an Israeli and a Palestinian, who each lost a young daughter to violence. It's a remarkable, stunning novel and I am reading it slowly to ponder and savor it. The power of his words just knock me out. I can tell this will be one of my favorite books of the year. 

I hope you all stay safe, healthy and home. 

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend by Jenny Colgan

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend by Jenny Colgan
Published by William Morrow ISBN 9780062869586
Trade paperback, $16.99, 341 pages

I'm a big fan of Jenny Colgan's books, having loved her most recent ones, The Bookshop on the Corner  and The Bookshop on the Shore. They are charming and sweet, and I love the Scottish island setting.

I recently read one of her earlier books, recently republished- Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend, which is a little different from her newer books. It's set in London, and the story is a bit rougher-around-the-edges. It's also very funny.

Sophie Chesterton is a gal-about-town, she spends her days shopping and getting her nails done and her nights out on the town with her two best friends and her boyfriend, whom she hopes will pop the question soon.

Life is good for Sophie until it is not. A tragic event forces her to leave her father's mansion and make her own way in the world. She ends up living in an apartment in the dodgy end of town with four young men, who take in her in with the understanding that she will clean their disgusting apartment as part of the rent. One of them even calls her "Cinders", short for Cinderella. (The scenes where she cleans the bathroom may be too much for some germophobes to even read.)

Sophie wants to be a photographer, and she manages to find a job as a photographer's assistant. She knows the photographer as a fashion photographer, who shoots the most glamorous women. On the side, however, he shoots scantily clad women for the tabloids, and the small, shoddy studio where he does this is where Sophie gets a job.

The characters in the book are terrific; the young women who work as tabloid models had me laughing out loud.  The "boys" Sophie live with are interesting- James (the military man), Wolverine (whose name perfectly describes his canine appearance and actions), Cal (who brings home a different woman every night) and Eck (the sensitive artist). Even Sophie's stepmother, who could have been one-dimensional, has more shades to her.

Sophie is the best character however. I love her salty language (you'll learn a lot great British slang in this book), and attitude. She could have just given up, but Sophie pushes on, even in the face of severe embarassment from her former friends.

There is a love triangle here between Sophie and two men, and the ending came as a bit of surprise, but a welcome and logical one at that. If you liked Bridget Jones' Diary, Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend is a perfect read for you.

Friday 5ive- February 21, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my attention during the week. We were in Florida last week with my brother-in-law and his wife, and the weather was perfect- sunny and 77 degrees everyday. (Sorry, my Central NY family and friends....) So this week's Friday 5ive is really from last week.

1) Our friend George knows how much I like to read books, so he found this cute little deck chair  book chair for me. It's perfect to use at the beach! While I sat in my lounge chair, my book got to lounge as well, and my hands didn't cramp up from reading the three books I finished that week. My Kindle fits well too. Everyday someone would stop and ask me where I got it- I found a sticker on the back that read "thinkinggifts.com", so here is the link in case you want one too.

2)  While out boating, we came upon these beautiful sailboats on Sarasota Bay. They looked so lovely, I had to take a photo.

3) Our Sign of the Week is a funny one we saw at the New Pass Grill when we were getting a breakfast egg sandwich.

4)  My brother-in-law brought his new McLaren car down and wherever we went, it got a lot of attention. Heads turned every time we drove by. He made a lot of new friends last week.

5) Beach time means reading time for me and I was able to read three books last week between the beach and the plane trips. Jenny Colgan's books are perfect beach reading, and her The Bookshop on the Shore continues the story from The Bookshop on the Corner. In this one, single mom Lottie moves herself and her young son to Loch Ness from London, where she takes a job as a nanny to a family of three wild children and their checked-out single father. She also works part-time at Nina's book shop van. Colgan's characters are so vivid, you want to be friends with them, and possibly even move to Scotland. I flew through this wonderful, heartwarming book. 

The Bookshop on the Shore

Brenda Janowitz's upcoming novel, The Grace Kelly Dress tells the story of three woman. Rose is a seamstress in Paris in 1958 who must design a wedding dress for a wealthy socialite, based on Princess Grace Kelly's dress. But she is hiding a big secret from the socialite, one that will destroy everything if it gets out. In 1982 Long Island, prim and proper Joan is engaged to the perfect man and can't wait to wear her mother's gorgeous wedding dress, based on Grace Kelly's dress. If only she was as excited to actually get married. In 2008, Joan can't wait for her daughter, tech CEO Rocky, to wear her wedding dress at Rocky's wedding. But Rocky is not a traditional girl and doesn't know how to tell her mother she can't wear that dress. The way Janowitz intersects these three women's lives is interesting, and each woman's story is equally strong, a feat not easily achieved by most authors. My full review will follow soon.

The Grace Kelly Dress

And lastly, I picked up the latest Read With Jenna's book, Abi Daré's The Girl With the Louding Voice. Jenna Bush Hager never steers me wrong, and this novel about a young Nigerian girl whose dreams of going to school are dashed when her father marries her off to an older man is so moving and profound. You will root for Adunni to overcome all her troubles to achieve her dream. I absolutely loved it and could not put this book down. My full review will follow soon. 

The Girl With the Louding Voice

It's back to reality and 21 degrees in NYC today. Hope you are safe and warm where you are.

Christmas on the Island by Jenny Colgan

Charistmas on the Island by Jenny Colgan
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks ISBN 9780062850072
Trade paperback, $14.99, 336 pages

Author Jenny Colgan introduced us to the residents of the tiny Scottish island of Mure in The Cafe by the Sea, which I found delightful. She revisits them in her wonderful new novel, Christmas on the Island.

Flora left her paralegal job to open a little cafe, Seaside Kitchen. She enjoys her shop, and her relationship with her former boss Joel is going well. Being back home with her family and friends has made her very happy.

But Joel and Flora's relationship hits a bump whe Flora ends up accidentally pregnant, and Joel doesn't react the way she had hoped. Joel had a very difficult childhood, and he doesn't know if he can be a good father.

Flora's brother Fintan found love with Joel's biggest client, Colton Rogers, an American multi-millionaire, who came to Mure and built a huge mansion. At first the town hated Colton and all he stood for, but he has since become a valued, beloved member of the community.

Colton and Fintan's love is interrupted by a severe health issue, and an unwelcome and unexpected visit from Colton's brother from Texas. Colton has had nothing to do with his family for years, so he is suspect about the timing of his brother's visit.

The newest member of the community is Dr. Saif Hassan, a Syrian refugee who has been relocated to Mure. Saif has two young sons who are trying to adjust to a new life in a very different place. Saif is also looking for his wife, who never made it out of Syria.

Saif has become friends with Lorna, his sons' teacher and Flora's best friend. Lorna is attracted to Saif, but his missing wife casts a pall over their burgeoning relationship.

Once again, we get mouthwatering descriptions of some of the treats made in the Seaside Kitchen, including recipes at the end for Lanark Blue Scones, Black Bun and Shortbread. I also enjoyed learning about the Christmas traditions of this tiny Scottish island.

Reading Christmas on the Island is like catching up with old friends. Jenny Colgan makes you feel as though you hopped on the ferry yourself and landed there to spend the holidays. While there is  joy, as with life, there are also sorrows. The way that Mure welcomed and accepted Saif and his sons is uplifting, but Colton and Fintan's story is very sad.

I loved Christmas on the Island and hope that we get to meet up again with the residents of Mure.
I highly recommend it.

My review of The Cafe by the Sea is here.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Jenny Colgan's tour. The rest of her stops are here:

Instagram Features

Monday, December 3rd: Instagram: @simplykelina

Tuesday, December 4th: Instagram: @theliteraryllama

Wednesday, December 5th: Instagram: @girlwithnoselfie

Thursday, December 6th: Instagram: @direads

Friday, December 7th: Instagram: @basicbsguide

Saturday, December 8th: Instagram: @readwithkat

Sunday, December 9th: Instagram: @sweetbookobsession

Review Stops

Monday, December 3rd: BookNAround

Tuesday, December 4th: A Bookish Way of Life

Wednesday, December 5th: A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, December 6th: bookchickdi

Friday, December 7th: Into the Hall of Books

Monday, December 10th: Ms. Nose in a Book

Tuesday, December 11th: Jackie Reads Books

Wednesday, December 12th: Thoughts From a Highly Caffeinated Mind

Thursday, December 13th: Instagram: @kate.olson.reads

Friday, December 14th: Kahakai Kitchen

Monday, December 17th: Staircase Wit

Tuesday, December 18th: Instagram: @worldswithinpages

Tuesday, December 18th: A Book a Week

Wednesday, December 19th: Books and Bindings

Thursday, December 20th: I Wish I Lived in a Library

It's All About Romance

Reprinted from auburnpub.com:

This month’s Book Report is the Romance Rundown, featuring four books from the genre that caught my attention.

First up is Eloisa James’ historical romance, “Wilde In Love”, the first in her new “Wildes of Lindow Castle” series. We meet Lord Alaric Wilde, who has returned home to his family’s castle near London in 1778 from his adventures abroad. Alaric’s books about his travels have made him famous, and his adventures with pirates and cannibals inspired a long-running play about the handsome man, which embarrasses him to no end. 

Alaric becomes enchanted by Willa Ffynche, who seems to the be the only woman in England who has not fallen madly in love with him. Willa prefers reading to adventures, but she soon finds herself thrown together with Alaric, who sets his cap for Willa.

James’ novel is the most explicit of the group, and she certainly knows how to give her readers what they want. Willa is a fantastic character, and she and Alaric make a great team as they banter back and forth.

It’s been awhile since I have read an historical romance, but I enjoyed “Wilde in Love” so much, I will be picking more of the many books James has written. She writes smart dialogue and keeps her readers wanting more.

Moving into the early 20th century, after WWI, is Lauren Willig’s “The Other Daughter”. Also set in England, Rachel is a young governess working in France when she gets word that her mother is seriously ill. She arrives too late, and discovers a newspaper clipping that the father she believed died when she was a toddler, is in fact alive and has another family.

Rachel decides to go to London to confront him. Her father is an English lord, and to get close to him she becomes involved with Simon, a Page Six-like gossip reporter who has his own reasons for helping Rachel. 

Rachel pretends to be a socialite who has been abroad. Simon introduces her to her half-sister’s group of friends, and her sister’s fiancee, an up-and-coming politician. As Rachel gets closer to meeting her father, things are not quite as they seemed.

Willig excels at writing dialogue between Rachel and Simon. Their scenes crackle with tension, wit and emotion, and in the Acknowledgments section, Willig states that this is the first single-narrative, single-viewpoint novel she has written. She succeeds beautifully here, and “The Other Daughter” has not only romance, but family drama and a few twists that will surprise you. If you liked “Downton Abbey”, this one is for you.

“Christmas at the Little Beach Street Bakery” is the third in a planned trilogy by Jenny Colgan. Polly owns a popular small bakery on Mount Polbeane in Cornwall, on the southern coast of England. She lives in a lighthouse with her boyfriend Huckle, a beekeeper, and Neil, a puffin bird who goes everywhere with them. 

Polly was raised by her single mother, and never met her father. When Polly’s best friend Kerensa does something regrettable, it causes problems between Polly and Huckle. The characters in the town are so interesting, especially Kerensa’s husband Reuben, a multimillionaire who is pushy and obnoxious and totally in love with his wife.

The plot revolves around Christmas, when a snowstorm hits the area and Polly works to keep everything from falling apart. It’s funny and sweet, and has some terrific recipes as well. You’ll be craving croissants and hot chocolate after reading this one.

If you are a fan of the Hallmark Channel, you may be familiar with the Chesapeake Shores series, based on Sherryl Woods’ series of novels. Her latest, “Lilac Lane” continues the story of the O’Brien clan of Chesapeake Shores in Maryland. 

Moira O’Brien brings her mother Kiera over from Ireland after Kiera’s fiancee dies suddenly. Kiera works as a consultant for her son-in-law Kevin’s authentic Irish pub and meets Bryan, the chef at the restaurant.

Bryan bristles at Kiera’s suggestions, and although they get along like oil and water, the matchmaking O’Brien clan (led by matriarch Nell and her son Mick) decide these two need to be together.

There is also a young woman looking for her birth father (disappearing fathers seem to be a theme here today), but again, things are always more complicated than at first glance.

“Lilac Lane” is a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys stories about big families, especially Irish families. The O’Brien clan feel like your own family, who you love and drive you crazy all at once.

“Wilde in Love” by Eloisa James- A

Published by Avon

Mass Market Paperback, $7.99

“The Other Daughter” by Lauren Willig- A-

Published by St. Martin’s Griffin

Trade paperback, $15.99

“Christmas at the Little Beach Street Bakery”- B+

Published by William Morrow

Trade paperback, $14.99

“Lilac Lane” by Sherryl Woods- A

Published by MiraBooks

Hardcover, $26.99