Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Major Pettigrew is an honorable man who struggles to come to terms with a changing world, while still holding true to his core values. With an interesting group of characters, the author presents a small rural village in England and the struggles and prejudices that make up their daily lives. Major Pettigrew is a widower, dealing with the recent death of his brother, and growing feelings of affection he has for Mrs. Ali who owns the local shop for groceries. With humor and grace, the author explores the challenges of getting older, the excitement of new love, and the struggle of racism, all with subtlety and depth. It is hard not to fall in love with Major Pettigrew. I would highly recommend this book.
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Dog Day Wedding by Rich Amooi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A light-hearted but very predictable comedy, this was an easy read with lovable characters. The story begins as Giovanni is left at the alter by a very disagreeable and materialistic woman. Natalie is a beautiful police officer who happens to live next door to Giovanni. After a few obvious twists and turns, the two realize they have feelings for each other, but Natalie is already engaged to Jaks, an ambitious young district attorney. Despite being extremely predictable and somewhat corny at times, overall I enjoyed this book. If you like romantic comedy - you will enjoy Dog Day Wedding.
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Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fredrik Backman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and "Britt-Marie Was Here" is another fantastic example of why.
Britt-Marie is a character that was introduced to us in "My Grandmother asked me to Tell You She's Sorry" as a difficult woman who lived in the same building. This story starts where the last book left off for Britt-Marie.
Although many people describe her as a 'nag-bag' who does not have a sense of humor, Britt-Marie is really a very loving, yet very misunderstood woman. Britt-Marie is dealing with the challenges of marital infidelity by her longtime husband, and this motivates Britt-Marie to accept a job in the tiny forgotten town of Borg.
Britt-Marie uses her work ethic and no-nonsense approach to make her way in this very unfamiliar situation. According to Britt-Marie, baking soda can fix almost any problem. This charming story will capture your heart as you realize that there is so much more to Britt-Marie than meets the eye. Britt-Marie is able to face some of her biggest fears and she makes an indelible mark on this small town. The author has a unique style of writing that is direct, but infused with humor, warmth and feeling. I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys fiction.
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And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fredrik Backman has rapidly become my new favorite author. This little gem of a story will tug at your heart. Bachman has such a child-like sense of wonder that he brings to his books. His description of how the hyacinth flowers 'smell like Christmas' are a perfect example of the child logic that he infuses throughout his stories. The story centers on a grandpa and his precious grandson as they prepare to deal with grandpa's fading memory. Grandpa calls him NoahNoah because he likes that name twice as much as any other name. As a new grandma this story had added meaning to me. A short story - this little book will take less than an hour to read, but I promise it will be an hour well spent.
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Rushing Waters by Danielle Steel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I typically enjoy the light-hearted escapism of a Danielle Steel book, but Rushing Waters was not one of my favorites. The story centered around a large group of individuals dealing with a huge hurricane and its aftermath in New York City. The story had way too many characters, so it was difficult to really get into each story. The characters were not well developed. The book kept jumping from one story line to another. Overall it was just too chaotic to enjoy. Even for Danielle Steel fans, this book should be at the bottom of your 'to-read' pile. It makes me wonder if she is using ghost writers now, her recent books are just not the same.
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Go the F*ck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
With humor and sarcasm that will brighten any exhausted parents day, this adorable bedtime book is for parents, not children. The sweet illustrations and well written verses capture the challenge and struggle of all parents when dealing with small children at bedtime. This book makes a PERFECT gift for anyone with small children at home.
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
While the format may be different for fans of Harry Potter, this new installment to the series is a wonderful addition to the Harry Potter collection. Written as a screenplay, some of the wonderful J.K. Rowling mastery of words and descriptions is missing, but the story has the true feel of the original series. The story revolves around the friendship of Harry & Ginny's son Albus with Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Draco. Harry struggles with his relationship with Albus, and Albus is dealing with some struggles of his own. In an attempt to right a past wrong, Albus talks Scorpius into joining him on an adventure that leads them both to much more than they bargained for. The story brings back Ron, Hermione, Draco and of course Harry, plus a few more of the beloved characters that readers will enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is NOT the same as reading the original novels, but for any Harry Potter fan this is a wonderful escape back to the magical world that we all love so much.
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