Book #65:
James by Percival Everett (Length: 304 pages). This imaginative and beautifully written novel will be in my top 3 books of 2024, guaranteed. This is Huckleberry Finn told from the point of view of “Jim” the slave who Huck escapes with via a raft down the Mississippi River. Except here, James is a fully-fleshed out character. This is surprisingly humorous in many parts; for example, the slaves speak gibberish to their masters but speak perfect English amongst themselves, leading to some funny scenarios. The details here are frightening and sad in parts, but this is so masterfully written that it’s a must-read for any and every reader. It’s a propulsively fast read too . . . I sat down to read the first 20 pages to see if I’d like it, and I literally couldn’t stop reading it and finished it in one sitting. It’s THAT good!
Book #66:
Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner (Length: 388 pages). Rom coms written by male authors generally give me pause (specifically regarding their depictions of women) but Jeff did alright here! The premise is a country music star goes on a verbal anti-gun rampage while drunk at his concert. The impetus? His best friend was recently killed in a mass shooting at a country music festival. Colton ends up moving back to small town Venice, KY and living with his mom. In an attempt to make a living he works at a restaurant, and his high school sweetheart enters the picture for the romance part of this novel. I ADORED the writing here, the chemistry and dialogue are perfection and parts of it made me chuckle. This is a solid 4 star rom com and its memorable plot will make it easy for you to recommend to others.
Book #67:
This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune (Length: 361 pages). I rarely chase one rom-com with another but since I was on vacation in Maui, I wanted another “beach read”. This one is set on Prince Edward Island (home of Anne of Green Gables) and features Felix and Lucy. Felix is a champion oyster-shucker/bartender/carpenter and Lucy is a florist. Felix’s sister Bridget is Lucy’s best friend and before Lucy heads to PEI to visit Bridget, Bridget warns Lucy, do NOT fall in love with my brother. Thus, the secret lovers trope is borne. The dialogue is perfection, the two leads have believable chemistry, and the best part of this book is the sense of place. There are lots of AGG references and the food and scenery descriptions are swoon-worthy. This is a rare 5-star rom-com for me.
Book #68:
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (Length: 656 pages). I’ve had this back list read on my Kindle for years and finally picked it up while on vacation. It’s the perfect long plane ride read as it’s a chunker! A family saga set primarily in Cornwall and London, before, during and after WW2, the primary focus is Penelope, the daughter of Lawrence and Sophia Stern. Secondarily the novel focuses on the three adult children of Penelope: Nancy, Olivia and Noel. Lawrence Stern was a renowned painter whose paintings have now become very valuable, which causes some machinations by a few of his grandchildren. This novel is primarily character-driven but with the war in the background of much of it, this through line makes it feel faster paced than most family sagas. The writing is perfection here, and is many readers’ top 3 books of their lifetimes which is why it’s been on my TBR for so long. There is a beautiful sense of place (in various settings throughout the novel) as Pilcher is known for her descriptive writing but her writing is never flowery or too verbose. Penelope is very likeable and is easy to root for. This is an immersive read that you’ll think about when you’re not reading it and the plot is memorable. A solid 5 star read for me.
Book #69:
Chasing the Smokies Moon by Nancy East (Length: 194 pages). This short and fun read was gifted to me by a good friend who recently visited the Smoky Mountains National Park. This is a signed copy which is so fun and is about a 948-mile record-setting hike (Fastest Known Time) set by Nancy and her best friend Chris, both middle-aged non-athletes who hiked all of the trails in SMNP in under 30 days. Nancy was a part-time veterinarian and mom who wanted to do something just for herself, and the impetus was to raise money to fund a preventative search and rescue team in light of a few rescues she had participated in as a volunteer SAR member herself. These rescues should have been prevented, and she discusses these in the course of this book. The author’s tone here is perfect. I enjoyed the daily accounts as well as following along on each chapter’s hiking maps. (Audio would NOT be the way to go here). Her sense of humor (and that of her hiking companion) are fun, and this audacious effort is very inspiring. I immediately ordered a few books she mentioned here from my local library and can’t wait to read and share those.
Lora Terrill 