Thank you for joining me here! I hope you enjoy this series and I’d love to hear from you about what you are reading these days.
Book #1:
Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler (Length: 402 pages). This is the second book in the Moose Springs trilogy (I reviewed Tourist Attraction last time). This time the focus is on Zoe’s best friend, the developer Lana Montgomery and Graham’s pool bar owning friend Rick. The trope is still the same and a bit tired (can’t be together for some BS reason–here, it’s because Lana travels so much for business.) But as with the first, the writing is strong, there are funny and cute side characters (including a costume wearing hedgehog), and the town setting make this worth picking up if you’re in the mood for a light-hearted, breezy romance that’s better written than most.
Book #2:
The Housewives by Brian Moylan (Length: 294 pages). This is a pretty specific book for a specific type of reader as it features the “real” story behind the Real Housewives TV franchises. The author writes episode recaps for Vulture Magazine, and I’ve always been a fan of his (often snarky) writing so I was eager to pick this up. I will say there’s not much groundbreaking information here for long-time fans. This is due to no fault of the author’s but is because Bravo threatened all cast members and staff with legal action if they spoke to the author. The author still revealed enough here that makes it interesting reading. (I did skim a few parts, namely the history of reality television.) The best parts of this book are the inside information on how much the housewives are paid (salaries/show vacations/etc) as well as when the author went on “vacation” with OG Vicki Gunvalson. Worth a library checkout if you’re a fan of this franchise.
Book #3:
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (Length: 306 pages). This book has been on my TBR for ages, and after I saw a few friends had read this recently, I picked it up. Wow! I love this book! Toggling between 1986 and 1942-45, this Seattle-based novel about the Japanese internment camps is captivating, and difficult to put down. Told from the perspective of a 12-year old Chinese boy, the author focuses on his friendship with a Japanese girl named Keiko, and then follows Henry’s life at 56 years old after his wife passes. The story is fantastic, the writing is smooth and the character development of Henry is top-notch. This is a must read for fans of historical fiction. (I’m VERY burnt out on World War 2 books but this one is told from such a unique and important perspective that it made the cut for me.)
Book #4:
Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler (Length: 260 pages). This is the third book in the Moose Springs trilogy (the first 2 reviewed this month also). It’s the same grumpy mountain man/spunky woman trope as the first two but the majority of the action of this one occurs during a precarious mountain climb on a glacier. This book features Easton Lockett of the first two books (the best friend of Graham and Rick) as well as a famous actress from the lower 48 named River Lane. The writing here is decent, with similar fun dialogue, but as with the first two, the setting is the real winner here. And as with the first two, there’s an adorable animal–here it’s a lovesick marmot. Overall, it’s a fun, mindless read that’s better written than many light romances. I was a bit annoyed with a few typos in the Kindle version so be forewarned if that’s how you also choose to read this book.
Lora Terrill 