June Read: The Enchanted Hacienda by J. C. Cervantes

 

I'm a sucker for a novel that involves gardens, flowers, and magic. 

Harlow Estrada is fresh off a break up with her loser boyfriend on the same day she loses her job.  She leaves New York City for the family farm and business in Mexico. Run by her mother and aunt, the Hacienda Estrada is a magical place. And I mean magical in every sense of the word. Acres of flowers, a fantastic hacienda, and yes, a bond with the land courtesy of a goddess. 

Harlow is the only woman in her family that has no apparent magic. Everyone else has a way with flowers that amplifies their gift. Now Harlow is back to stay for a few weeks while her mother and aunt take a vacation to Italy. It's just the break Harlow needs to find her creative spark and maybe, just maybe, her magical gift. 

There's also a gorgeous man she meets in the local village--Ben. He's drop dead hot, and seems to be interested in Harlow. But wow, their relationship is a bit of a hot mess, and it's the main romance of the novel. Harlow's emotions get in the way of her heart and cause a lot of trust issues with Ben.

This was a cute read; I was mostly interested in the farm and the magic used with the flowers. I found that all fascinating and dang if I wouldn't like to live on a magical flower farm. I thought the story dragged a bit and Harlow's questioning herself and Ben over and over was a bit annoying. 

I hope there are more stories involving Harlow's sisters and cousins--they each have magical gifts and none of them are in relationships--so many possible sequels to this novel. 

I don't have a deep introspective review of this novel. It was enjoyable; I'll be honest I went outside to my lavender pot and swept my hand over the buds to inhale the scent. Too bad I don't have a magical bone in my body! But this was a great reminder for me to see the magic in the flowers I have in my backyard. 

Themes about starting over; ending something can mean the beginning of a great new life; embracing being creative, trust yourself and your feelings. 

Fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Heather Webber will enjoy this magical novel.

Rating: 3/6 for a novel that will take you away from everyday life for just a bit, to a place where the flowers bloom and magic is all around. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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June Read: The Enchanted Hacienda by J. C. Cervantes

January Read: Spare by Prince Harry

 

I hadn't planned on reading this book. But I was at the bookstore the day it came out, and they had a stack of it; I thought heck why not? It would be interesting to read from his own words.

I'm old enough to remember all the way back, when Diana and Charles were first dating. I was a few years younger than Diana, so it was all a fairy tale, and the first time I'd really ever been aware of the British Royal Family. I was invested in a way I think a lot of women my age were through the years, and utterly devastated when Diana died. Completely, shockingly upset. 

I've cheered Harry on when he met Meghan, and was so obviously happy and in love. Finally, a happy ending. And yes, a happy ending, but not without sacrifice and a lot of sorrow. 

I don't care whether you think ill of H & M or are big fans. I'm not here for a debate. I will say I found the memoir engaging, a quick read, and a glimpse into a life none of us can imagine. A memoir about a young boy, and a man, traumatized over losing his mom, and unable to cope for many, many years. Someone searching for a meaningful life, and struggling to find it in the confines of the family he was born into. Yes, privilege, but it came with a lot of shackles. And who wants that? 

Harry's story, told from his viewpoint, is compelling and interesting. His love and frustration for his brother and family are evident. It is possible to love someone and also be heartbroken by them, and angry with them. Disappointed. Hopeful somehow it will all eventually work out. 

I have heard, as most have, the "excerpts" the press have taken from this book. It was good to actually read the book, and realize most of it was taken out of context for shock value. I think it's also important to realize this young man is a person, and  he has experiences we can all relate to. His anxiety is relatable; his belief his mom was still alive somewhere, understandable. Anyone who has lost a loved one goes through that stage where you think somehow they are still alive, somewhere. For Harry, that lasted for years. I still find myself reaching to call my sister, or thinking what my Dad would say about such and such. Both have been gone for years, but I still have those moments where I forget, and then that crushing realization that no, they are gone. 

I can't imagine having my photo taken anytime I am anywhere; thousands of photos. I shudder at the snaps my boyfriend takes of me at home, doing everyday stuff. Ugh. Please delete those photos! At least he's the only one who sees them, not thousands of folks all over. How do you stand that?

Anyway. I enjoyed reading this memoir. Some spots are harsh, but honest. There is definitely a terrible relationship between the Institution and the press. The press is voracious and has an unquenchable thirst. No ethics at all. 

Rating: 5/6 for a memoir from someone who has lead a unique life. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio (I recommend listening to the audio, as Prince Harry himself narrates it.)

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January Read: Spare by Prince Harry

Summer Reading 2022: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

 

I'm chipping away at my summer reading pile, and I just finished Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I wanted to give her another chance after I read Beach Read a few years ago and had mixed feelings about that novel. Enough mixed feelings that I didn't read People We Meet on Vacation, her follow up. 

I'm happy to say I had a different experience with this novel. It could be I liked the characters much more in Book Lovers.  Nora and Charlie both live in New York City. Nora is a literary agent, and Charlie is an editor. They meet briefly to discuss one of Nora's clients. Charlie doesn't like the book, and Nora doesn't much like Charlie. Neither makes a good impression on the other.  

Fast forward two years later, and Nora is taking a month long vacation to the town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina with her pregnant sister Libby. They are extremely close, but Nora has felt some distance in their relationship. Libby isn't happy with Nora's career taking all of her time; Nora is afraid their relationship may be damaged because of it. 

Nora runs into Charlie in Sunshine Falls. Oh--did I mention Sunshine Falls is the setting for the novel Charlie dissed two years before? And that novel was a HUGE hit? Surprise, surprise. Charlie actually is from Sunshine Falls. He's there taking care of his parent's bookshop and helping his father recover from a stroke. Charlie hates Sunshine Falls. They run into each other, and it's clear their short meeting two years before was just the start of something big. 

Nora and Charlie begin working on editing a novel that has the potential to be a blockbuster. They both know it and are completely in sync with each other about the work it will take to shape the manuscript and get it ready to sell. 

Nora and Charlie also are irresistibly attracted to each other, and their chemistry is off the charts! I'll say Emily Henry hit the nail on the head as Nora finds the little things about Charlie so darn hot. That's exactly how it works. I'm partial to my dude's dimples. They get me every time. I love his chin. Weird, I know, but darn it all he's got a great chin. Anyway...Nora and Charlie just are so good together. I loved reading their texts; they just get each other. Smart, snappy, sharp conversations that make their relationship very believable. 

Charlie's attraction to Nora is also so. well. done. I loved the evolution of their relationship. A great match; great dialogue. 

Nora's relationship with her sister Libby is a bit complicated, and Nora's quirks and issues get a deep dive into her past. Charlie brings out the best in her. 

A big theme in this novel is the idea of happily ever after, and how sometimes it doesn't always happen the way we want it to happen. Life is not a Hallmark movie; tough choices have to be made. Sometimes your happy is not the same happy for others you love, and you have to make a choice. It's also about loving someone enough to let them go so they can be happy. 

I'm not saying how this novel ends, because the journey is important. It's a good journey, however, and while this is a romance, it's also a story about family, sacrifice, personal happiness, and healing. 

Okay. So I'm onboard the Emily Henry train. Book Lovers was a great read, a solid romance, and an examination of being happy in your life versus just being okay in order to make someone else happy. 

Rating: 5/6 for two engaging characters: Nora and Charlie. Darn it all, Charlie sure is appealing! The story moves along at a good pace; all of the strands of this plot come together neatly. A good novel to take on vacation. 

Available in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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Summer Reading 2022: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse G. Sutanto

 

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Well, i spent some time this weekend creating an impromptu video where I talked about a whole lot (no shelf control, folks) of books I wanted to read for the summer. However, it was too darn long to load into a post and I finally gave up posting it on Facebook after what felt like a zillion tries. 

So, I'm a bit late posting and I'm going to try another, shorter video and get that up Friday. 

Meanwhile, I have been reading a few books, and I finally finished this novel that's a bit romance, a bit screwball comedy, and well, a slight murder mystery. 

Meddelin Chan has three aunts and a mom who run a successful wedding company. They do it all: flowers, cake, makeup & hair, and Meddy is the photographer. Their biggest wedding is coming up: two wealthy families joining together on a posh island hotel resort. It's huge for Meddy and her family, and they can't screw it up. 

Meddy's mother sets her up on a blind date, and things go terribly, terribly wrong. As in dead body wrong the morning they are to leave for the wedding. What's a girl to do? Call her aunts! And what's wonderful about Meddy's aunts and her mom is that they believe her without question, and throw themselves into solving the pickle Meddy has created (accidentally). 

At the hotel resort, Meddy runs into Nathan, now part-owner of the luxury hotel. He is Meddy's true love, and she broke up with him in college because she couldn't leave her family in California. The heat is still there between the two, and Nathan makes it clear he's missed Meddy and still has feelings for her. Now, to just explain about the dead body in the cooler...

It really is a screwball comedy in that we have a group of women preparing for a major wedding, dragging a cooler around with a body in it-trying to hide it but constantly being interrupted and having to change course. Toss in a developing second plot involving the maid of honor, theft, and a whole fleet of really, really hungover groomsmen, and this wedding will take a miracle to pull off! 

I wasn't sure what to expect and actually enjoyed this novel very much. I wouldn't say it's a mystery, nor a straight romance, either. Kind of a little bit of both, with plenty of Chinese-Indonesian culture and family dynamics. Will Meddy have a happy ending? Happy news! This novel has been optioned for a Netflix movie!

Rating: 3/6 for a fun read about a wedding where everything that can go wrong, goes wrong-and how having a meddling ma in your romantic life can lead to a really, really bad blind date. Enjoyable, full of loveable characters and a demonstration of what families will do for each other in times of crisis. 

Available in hardcover, trade paperback, audio, and ebook. 

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Dial A for Aunties by Jesse G. Sutanto

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale

Well, here's number 2 of my holiday reads, and the cheese factor on this one was pretty high. 

Abby is a single mom who has a natural talent for interior decorating, but chose the practical career of nursing to be able to provide a steady income for herself and her son Max. Caring for an elderly woman as a private nurse, she's given the chance of a lifetime: decorating a mansion for millionaire Nick Sinclair, the grandson of her client. Nick's rich, a workaholic, and very alone in his sparsely filled home. His family is coming to his home for Christmas, so he's got to have it decorated ASAP. Based on his grandmother's recommendation, he gives Abby the job, his credit card, and the opportunity to do whatever she wants to his home. He also pays her a tidy sum, one that will help her provide for her ailing Grandfather and provide a Christmas for her son that she's never been able to do. 

Of course Nick is handsome, and plays a mean piano. He also writes his own compositions, but never shares his passion, and instead focuses on keeping his late father's business growing and prospering.  He's a guy with tons of money who has no one to spend it on. One thing I thought was weird was his nonchalance in spending huge sums of money on whatever, but then telling Abby that he couldn't just stop working so hard because he had to make a lot of money. Huh? How about not tossing money around?! 

Anyway, Abby is beautiful, talented, and able to break through Nick's busy work world to slowly get him to realize there's more to life than working. They both fall for each other, but Nick's determined to move to New York (they live in Richmond, VA) and sell his home after Christmas. Can they have a future together? How will this all work out?

It is a very Cinderella-like story, for sure. There's no hot sex; it's full of longing looks and "Oh darn I'm falling in love" moments.  It is a Hallmark movie, for sure. But, if you're looking for a feel-good holiday tale, with a happy ending, this is the one for you. The issues facing Abby and Nick didn't even give me a moment's angst that they wouldn't be worked out. No emotional rollercoaster here, just a steady story that's really a modern fairy-tale with a happy ending.

Rating:  3/6 for a holiday romance that is picture perfect in every way. Suitable for fans of Debbie Macomber or folks who adore Hallmark holiday movies. 

Available in paperback and ebook.   

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Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale

I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around by Ann Garvin

My friend Mad loaned me her copy of this novel, otherwise I would have missed it completely.  It took me awhile to get around to reading it, but it is a quick read once you start.  It is funny, sad, and captures the stress of trying to take care of an aging parent while still attempting to have a life.

Tig Monahan is a woman in the middle of a whole lot of change.  Her job as a therapist is ending, her boyfriend Pete is moving to Hawaii and expects Tig to come along with him; her mother Hallie is suffering from dementia and has just been moved to a nursing home.  Tig is unhappy, and the world is moving way too fast for her to cope. 

It's especially hard for Tig to reconcile the woman her mother is now with the woman she used to be.  A successful veterinarian with her own practice; a single mother bringing up two girls after her husband's unexpected death.  A take charge, no fear kind of lady.  But that's all gone now; Hallie is lost in her memories and sometimes can't even recognize Tig.  Wendy, Tig's older sister, lives away from her sister and mother, but comes home unexpectedly with a surprise:  she's very pregnant and a bit lost herself.  Giving birth to Clementine, Wendy can't cope at all with a colicky baby, postpartum depression, and her feelings of inadequacy.  She takes off, leaving Tig to take care of Clementine and Hallie.  Garvin perfectly captures the hardships of being a sandwich generation adult; coping with elderly parents and children and trying to have a life of your own.

 It's a huge juggling act, and Tig struggles.  Her relationship with Pete is still up in the air, but there's Alec, a cute widower who's mother is a sassy resident at the nursing home. There's also her stint as a radio show host for a call in therapy show.  It's growing in popularity, but Tig feels like a fraud.  

I enjoyed this novel; there were certainly parts that had me teary-eyed and nodding my head in agreement.  My experience with my mother, who had dementia and health issues that lead to her death in December 2015 had some similarities to Tig's experience.  It is heartbreaking to realize the parent you knew is no longer the person in front of you; that they sometimes don't recognize you, and revert back to people and places that are far back in time.  There were many times I left my Mom's apartment in tears.  Taking care of a parent is a huge struggle, and it can create issues between siblings you never thought would ever happen.  It forces you to look at life differently, and think about your own mortality.  

I liked Tig; she annoyed me occasionally, but overall I could understand her motives.  It seems when your life is chaotic, the most change happens and propels you forward whether you're ready or not.  That certainly happens to Tig.  I also enjoyed seeing the change in her relationship with Wendy from one of anger and resentment to one of friendship and solidarity.  Tig has a rocky road, but plenty of people around her who support her and push her forward.  

Rating:  4/6 for an entertaining, touching, and wise look at life's beginnings and endings and all the stuff in between.  

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around by Ann Garvin

Bootstrapper: a Memoir by Mardi Jo Link

I found this audio book while rapidly scanning the non-fiction offerings at the library.  I was in a hurry, but I recognized the cover from the bookstore, and remembered that it had intrigued me a few months before, so I checked it out.  

So far I've listened to audio books where the narrator is also the author.  This book was the first one where someone else other than the author narrated it, and I have to admit I had a hard time with that for the first day of listening on my commute.  So much so that I almost stopped listening.  I'm glad I kept plowing through (also I didn't have another audio book to get me through the weekly commute!) because I ended up looking forward to listening to Mardi's life in Michigan.  But while I did enjoy it for the most part, I have a few issues with the memoir.

Mardi Jo Link was a woman with a 19 year marriage and three young boys, living in an old farmhouse (with a half-done remodeling project) on a  6 acre spread in Michigan.  Her marriage falls apart, and her husband moves across the street, leaving Mardi with what she calls Happy Valley.  She's always dreamed of living on an acreage, growing her own food, and having horses.  Now that she's finally got that, her impending divorce and lack of money threaten to take it all away.  Mardi is a tough woman, but sometimes I felt she was too willing to take the extremely hard road instead of confessing to her parents that she was in some financial trouble.  I feel that her absolute determination to keep her farm and raise her boys on it sometimes kept her from asking for help.  It's no shame to ask for help when you are struggling.  Yes, grit and determination are all well and good, but also being sensible and making sure you've got heat and food on the table to feed your kids is important  too.  Her parents would have helped her in a second.  That was a big beef for me.  

This memoir is about the year following the end of Mardi's marriage, and the ways she and her boys kept things moving along in the dead of winter:  scouting around for firewood, winning a year's supply of free day-old bread at a local bakery by growing the largest zucchini; applying for free school lunches for her boys.  And then there is the local carpenter, Pete, who is waiting for Mardi to give him the okay to finish the remodel of her second floor.  There's a whiff of romance there that flits in and out of the story, and I did like that.  It was unexpected by both Mardi and me as the reader.  She most definitely wasn't looking for romance that first year. 

**warning all animal lovers and/or vegetarians!**

 I got the biggest laugh over the chickens she bought as chicks to raise for food.  Mardi and her sons decide not to name them, as they will be food eventually.  Instead they call them "the meats".  I found that really funny, and I don't know why.  What's even more amusing is that when it came time to do the deed, Mardi couldn't do it.  Instead she ended up giving the chickens away, and made herself feel better by realizing that the people who took the chickens needed them more than she did in her diminished financial situation.

So does Mardi hang onto her farm?  How does she do it, if she does succeed?

For the most part, I liked this memoir.  I like to read about women who move through the difficult parts of life and come out the other side stronger and smarter than before.  I admire Mardi for deciding that come hell or high water, she was going to hang onto her farm, her childhood dream, and her desire to raise her sons her way.  That fire kept her tough when she didn't know what to do, and was often at her wit's end.  But much of this drama probably could have been if not eliminated, at least diminished if she'd just asked for help.  I think part of being a strong person is having the strength to ask for a hand when you need it and accepting help with grace.  

Rating:  6/10 for an entertaining memoir.  Mardi  can write very well, and I had moments of tearing up and laughing out loud.  But, I was annoyed that she refused to ask for help.  That caused some teeth gnashing on my part.  I still prefer to hear the author narrate their audio book instead of an actor. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audio. 

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Bootstrapper: a Memoir by Mardi Jo Link

Life from Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin

This book was not what I expected.  I'm always eager to read memoirs that involve cooking, family traditions, and recipes.  This memoir did have that, but surrounding Sasha Martin's food traditions and memories was a childhood of loss, abandonment, and grief. 

I have always recognized how lucky my siblings and I were to grow up in a household that had a Mom and a Dad, supper on the table every night at 5:30, and every holiday spent at our house.  There were no half-siblings, no far flung parents, no step-parents. My parents were married for 51 years before my Dad passed away.  Surrounded by a society that marries, divorces, marries again, divorces again; has children with each husband or wife; moves far away from family and only connects maybe once a year; well, I've seen how it affects kids.  We all have.  This stretching of roots and family is at the heart of Life from Scratch.  

Sasha Martin grew up in Boston, Connecticut, Paris, and Luxembourg.  Her mother, hoping to give her children a better life, granted guardianship of Sasha and her brother Michael to old family friends Patricia and Pierre.  Wrenched from their mother, with very little contact, Sasha and her brother struggled to fit into their new family, and a new life.  Sasha and her mother had connected over cooking, and even that was taken from her when she lived with Patricia and Pierre.  Tragedy soon visits Sasha, and she unravels in Paris, drinking and partying in her teen years as a way to escape her pain and accept that her mother won't communicate.  In fact, it is years before Sasha ever is able to see her mother again. A move back to the US to attend college results in a severing of ties to Patricia and Pierre.  She is on her own.  

Sasha eventually moves to Tulsa, Oklahoma and finds the peaceful, even keel of Tulsa a balm to her soul.  Nothing happens there, and that's just what she needs.  Buying a home makes her feel, for the first time in years, that she is finally home.  Marriage and a baby follow, and Sasha can't believe her luck.  She waits for the other shoe to drop; after all, that's what always happened before.  

But the shoe doesn't drop, and Sasha reawakens her passion for cooking by deciding to cook one meal a week for all 195 countries on the planet.  She starts a blog, The Global Table Adventure to chronicle her recipes and travels around the world from the comfort of her home.  In this, she begins to find some peace, forgiveness, and the realization that home is all around us in the people we meet, our neighbors, and our community.  We just have to open our eyes.  

The book is full of recipes that you can make if you feel like traveling the world from your house, too.  I was quite moved by Sasha's disconnected childhood  and everything she experienced and felt in her struggle to find home.  An incredibly strong woman who could have made so many bad choices, but chose instead to embrace life in all its messy glory.  Part food writing, part memoir, Food from Scratch is an excellent book club choice.  Visit Sasha's website to see all her recipes, meet her husband Keith and daughter Ava, and prepare to cook!  

Rating:  7/10 for a moving memoir about family, love, grief, and food.  

Available in hardcover and ebook.  

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Life from Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin