Book Review: Hello, Sunshine, by Laura Dave

On the morning of her 35th birthday, Sunshine (Stephens) Mackenzie's carefully-curated world begins to unravel in a very 21st-century fashion.  She has been hacked.  Her life as she knows it is gone:  the hit Youtube cooking show, her cookbook contract...her marriage...everything.  She has nothing left, and no one to help her.  Everyone has turned their backs.  What is a girl who built her fortune based on lies to do?  Go back to the truth...where it all began....home.

Sunshine begins to build her life back, slowly.  Her estranged sister and precocious niece are great characters--they cut through Sunny's persona and allow the real Sunshine to peek through.  I felt like Ethan did not add a lot to the story--he and Sunshine got close (friends?), but I did not like him as a character/person.  By the end of the book, I was happy that Sunshine unraveled the hacker's identity, but was disappointed in who it turned out to be, because that ruined that particular character for me.

It was hard for me to feel sympathy for Sunshine, but also hard for me to feel bad for Danny.  The ending of the book was a little unresolved for me...I would have wanted to read more about where Sunshine's path eventually takes her and if Danny is a part of her future.  All in all, it was a very fast-paced, enjoyable book that I recommend for reading on the beaches of the Hamptons or in your own backyard on a sunshine-filled day!

Book Review: The Necklace, by Claire McMillan (with spoilers)

I finished reading The Necklace over the weekend and can honestly say it is up there on the list of the best books I have read.  The plot moved along at a satisfying pace, and the characters seemed like people that we may have met one time or another in our lives.  The mystery surrounding the necklace spans from the 1920s until present day, and the time jumps add to the story, rather than distracting from it. 


The romantic entanglements between Ethan, Ambrose and May Quincy are best summed up in one word:  complicated.  May, out of obligation, marries Ethan, despite being in love with Ambrose.  The feelings between her and Ambrose only grow stronger despite being apart both in distance and by duty.  The necklace serves as a reminder of the love between Ambrose and May.


The modern Quincy relatives are an eccentric, spoiled bunch.  They behave like the spoiled heirs they are, and the only Quincy that I liked was Nell, who is a Quincy-once-removed.  Due to the way that Nell was treated by Aunt Lou, Lou bequeaths to Nell perhaps the most valuable item:  the necklace that belonged to Nell's grandmother, May.


This novel is full of intrigue, complicated family ties & emotions, and within it all: a love story.  I wholeheartedly recommend!!

Currently reading: The Necklace, by Claire McMillan

I am currently reading The Necklace, by Claire McMillan.  Touchstone Books was so wonderful to send me a copy of the book to review.

I'm about halfway through it--it is very hard to put down!   The characters are fascinating and McMillan's dialogue is refined and witty.  The Quincy family's dysfunctionality and elitism are very evident, and the book has (so far) been full of quite a lot of family drama.  The love triangle between Ambrose, Ethan, and May has been developing and I am anxious to see how that plays out in further chapters.


I have previously read another novel by Claire McMillan, Gilded Age, and it was phenomenal.  She lives near Cleveland, Ohio, where I am from, and it is always nice to read books published by local authors.  The Ohio/Cleveland references in The Necklace are nice as well :-)




I am loving it and will post another (longer) review when I am finished reading (hopefully this weekend).

Happy National Book Lovers Day!!!

August 9th:  National Book Lovers Day!


Celebrate by doing one (or more) of the following:

• Visit your local library.
• Read a book on your must-read list.
• Re-visit an old favorite (my pick:  The Street Lawyer by John Grisham)
• Take your love of reading outdoors and bask in the sunlight while getting your read on.
• Have a "book swap" party!  Invite some friends and have everyone bring a book that they would like to share and perhaps find a new favorite.
• Go to your local independent book shop and support your community while also picking up a new novel.

Book Review: The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff

The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished reading this book over the weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed it-- very well written and it was clear how passionate Ms. Jenoff is about history. As a fellow history aficionado, it was a more in-depth look at a segment of the population affected by the Second World War that I did not know much about, despite being a history major with an emphasis on European history. This is a novel that I was very excited to add to my library. I definitely look forward to more from this author and highly recommend this book.

Welcome! A little about me...

Welcome!  If you have found your way here, I'm sure that you love to read, like I do.  I am a thirty-something reader who loves to knit and write, among other things.  I am lucky to have a job where I get to write, among other things.  I love being creative and am a beyond-avid reader.  When I go on vacation, I don't just bring a book...I bring 10 (no joke).  I can't get enough.

Through this blog, I will share the books I recommend (and books that I do not).  Occasionally I will link to sites like GoodReads so that others can easily navigate to author profiles, 'favorite' an author, or just get lost browsing.

One of my dreams in life is to write a novel (or several, but for now I will be fine with just the one).  I will occasionally share my work on here.  Enjoy!